Lok Sabha Question No. 1489 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-13
Subject: Loan Beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Thiru Dr. S Jagathratchakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1489

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 13/02/2025

## LOAN BENEFICIARIES UNDER PRADHAN MANTRI VAN DHAN YOJANA

## 1489.  SHRI S JAGATHRATCHAKAN:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  the  total  number  of  beneficiaries  provided  loans  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Van  Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) across the country during the last five years, State/UT-wise;

(b) the total loan amounts disbursed to tribal groups or Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the said yojana in the country during the said period, State/UT-wise;

(c)  the  details  of  any  special  provisions/incentives/loans  provided/being  provided  by  the Government for tribal communities in rural and remote areas along with the manner in which the loan disbursal is structured to ensure accessibility and sustainable livelihood;

(d)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  evaluation  to  assess  the  effectiveness  of  the loan  disbursements  in  promoting  sustainable  livelihoods  and  economic  upliftment  of  tribal communities and if so, the details thereof; and

(e)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  loan  disbursal  system  to ensure maximum benefit to tribal communities in States with significant tribal populations?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY)

(a) to (c) The Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements the scheme of 'Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM)' through Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED). One of the components of the scheme is to provide financial support to  State  Governments to set up  Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), a cluster of tribal SelfHelp Groups (SHGs) which are centres of value addition activities but don't have provision for loans to their beneficiaries.

However, another agency of the Ministry namely, National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), provides concessional loans to the eligible Scheduled Tribe individuals & SHGs under various schemes. The beneficiaries of VDVKs are also eligible to avail these loans under respective schemes of NSTFDC. The details of some of these schemes of NSTFDC are given as under:

- i. Term  Loan  Scheme:  NSTFDC  provides  Term  Loan  for  viable  projects  costing  upto ₹50.00 lakh per unit. Under the scheme, financial assistance is extended upto 90% of

the cost of the project and the balance is met by way of subsidy/ promoter contribution/ margin money.

- ii. Adivasi  Mahila  Sashaktikaran  Yojana  (AMSY):  This  is  an  exclusive  scheme  for economic  development  of  Scheduled  Tribes  Women.  Under  the  scheme,  NSTFDC provides loan upto 90% for projects costing upto ₹2.00 lakh at highly concessional rate of interest of 4% per annum.
- iii. Micro Credit Scheme for Self Help Groups (MCF): This is an exclusive scheme for Self Help Groups for meeting small loan requirement of ST members. Under the scheme, the Corporation provides loans upto ₹50,000/- per member and maximum ₹5 Lakh per Self Help Group (SHG).
3. (d) Ministry of Tribal Affairs conducted an Evaluation Study of NSTFDC through Indian Institute of  Public Administration (IIPA) in 2018-19. The major findings of the study considering socio-economic aspect are given below:

| Socio-economic aspect                            |   Overall Percentage |
|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
| Household income improved                        |                82.63 |
| Standard of living improved                      |                42.74 |
| Sending children to Schools                      |                23.84 |
| Availing Health facility                         |                19.58 |
| Improved social status                           |                33.13 |
| Nothing changed                                  |                10.57 |
| Migration of family members reduced considerably |                 3.88 |

(e) At the beginning of each financial year, funds are notionally allocated to the States/ UTs in proportion to their ST population to the total ST population of the country as per estimated fund  availability  in  NSTFDC.  Further,  in  order  to  increase  the  outreach  amongst  the  target group, the Corporation has also tied ups with various alternative channels.

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