Goa Self Employment Scheme — ₹15 Lakh Loan for ST Entrepreneurs — Frequently Asked Questions

An individual from the Scheduled Tribe community can borrow up to ₹10,00,000. Associations, societies, partnerships, self-help groups and companies consisting only of ST members can borrow up to ₹15,00,000. The amount is extended as a loan and has to be repaid.

You need to belong to the Scheduled Tribe community, your family income has to be within ₹1,00,000 per year, and you must not be older than 55 years. Individuals, self-help groups, partnerships, societies, associations and companies can all apply, provided collective applicants are made up only of ST members. The financing must be used for a self-employment activity.

No. The support is structured as debt, so the Corporation does not acquire any share or stake in your venture. You continue to own the business and simply repay the borrowed amount.

There is no closing date. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and the scheme stays open through the year, so you can approach the Corporation whenever your project is ready.

Yes. A beneficiary is expected to put in 10% of the total project cost as margin money. For individual applicants this condition can be relaxed in deserving cases, but it stays mandatory for associations and other collective entities. In genuinely deserving situations the Board of Directors can also relax certain other eligibility criteria.

Two guarantors of sound financial standing have to be provided, and one of them must necessarily be a Government Servant. The Corporation checks the financial position of both guarantors during its review.

You fill in every mandatory field of the proforma, paste a passport-sized photograph signed across it, and attach self-attested copies of the required documents. The completed and signed form is then submitted to the concerned authority.

Applications are handled offline. Visit the Department of Tribal Welfare, Government of Goa, Shram Shakti Bhavan, 5th Floor, Patto, Panaji, Goa 403001. You can take a print of the application proforma or ask the concerned authority for a hard copy, then hand in the filled form with your documents.

It funds self-employment activities approved by the Goa State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation Limited — setting up a small business, strengthening an existing micro-enterprise, or adopting another income-generating activity that the Corporation clears.

Yes. The scheme requires insurance for the beneficiary's life and for the business activity against perils such as fire, theft and natural calamities. The policy is endorsed in the Corporation's name, and any compensation received is adjusted against the outstanding loan.

No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for Goa Self Employment Scheme — ₹15 Lakh Loan for ST Entrepreneurs, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.

Goa Self Employment Scheme — ₹15 Lakh Loan for ST Entrepreneurs is offered by Goa State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation, a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.