Lok Sabha Question No. 3211 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-04
Subject: Welfare Schemes for SC/ST
Ministry: MICRO,SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
Asked by: Jyotsna Charandas Mahant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3211 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2022

## WELFARE SCHEMES FOR SC/ST

## 3211. SHRIMATI JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT:

Will the Minister of MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of schemes being implemented for the welfare of the poor people belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs)/Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the country including Chhattisgarh;
- (b) whether  the  National  SC/ST  Hub  (NSSH)  provides  commercial  assistance  to  the entrepreneurs belonging to the SCs/STs; and
- (c) if so, the details of beneficiary entrepreneurs belong to the SCs/STs in Chhattisgarh during the last three years, year-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SHRI BHANU PRATAP SINGH VERMA)

(a)to(c): The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has been implementing National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) Scheme across the  country  including  Chattisgarh  to  promote  entrepreneurship  among  the  SC-ST  and  to fulfill the obligations under the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises. To  boost  entrepreneurship  among  SC-ST,  the  hub  has  taken  several  interventions  which include  capacity  building  programmes;  market  linkage  programmes  viz,  participation  in domestic and foreign exhibitions, organization of Special Vendor Development programmes, workshops/awareness programmes, subsidy on purchase of machinery/equipments,  subsidy  for  registration  under  Single  Point  Registration  Scheme, subsidy  for  enrollment  on  Government  promoted  e-commerce  portals  such  as  GeM,  ekhadi, TRIFED, Tribes India, MSME Mart, etc. The number of SC-ST beneficiaries under NSSH in Chhattisgarh during the last three years are as under:

| Year      |   Number of SC-ST beneficiaries |
|-----------|---------------------------------|
| 2019-2020 |                             558 |
| 2020-2021 |                             156 |
| 2021-2022 |                              08 |

In addition, the Ministry implements various schemes and programmes for promotion  and  development  of  MSME  Sector  including  SC/ST  entrepreneurs  namely, Prime  Minister's  Employment  Generation  Programme  (PMEGP),  Scheme  of  Fund  for Regeneration  of  Traditional  Industries  (SFURTI),  A  Scheme  for  Promoting  Innovation, Rural  Industry  &  Entrepreneurship  (ASPIRE),  Credit  Guarantee  Scheme  for  Micro  and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE), Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESDP), etc.

Further,  Department  of  Social  Justice  &  Empowerment  is  implementing  (i)  the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) providing financial support to selected students from Scheduled  Castes;  Denotified,  Nomadic  &  Semi  -  Nomadic  Tribes;  landless  agricultural labourers  and  traditional  artisan  categories,  for  pursuing  Masters  and  Ph.D  level  courses abroad  and  (ii)  National  Fellowship  scheme  for  Scheduled  Caste  Students  providing fellowships  in  the  form  of  financial  assistance  to  students  belonging  to  SC  category  to pursue  higher  studies  leading  to  M.Phil/Ph.D  in  Science,  Humanities,  Social  Science,  in Indian  Universities/Institutions/Colleges  recognized  by  University  Grants  Commission (UGC). Department of Financial Services under the Stand Up India Scheme, also facilitates loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) of value between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs.1.00 Cr. to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services and trading sector including activities allied to agriculture.

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