Bankable Scheme (Gujarat Scheduled Caste Development Corporation)

What is the Bankable Scheme in Gujarat?

The Bankable Scheme, known locally as Bankable Yojana (બેન્કેબલ યોજના), is run by the Gujarat Scheduled Caste Development Corporation (GSCDC) under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat. The scheme helps unemployed Scheduled Caste people set up a small trade, industry or service business by arranging a loan from a nationalised bank and adding a government subsidy on top.

According to GSCDC's own scheme page on sje.gujarat.gov.in, the corporation finances Scheduled Caste applicants living below the notified income line; under Rs 1,50,000 a year in urban areas and under Rs 1,20,000 a year in rural areas, with credit of up to Rs 1,00,000 for a trade or business and up to Rs 2,00,000 for an industry or service activity, plus a subsidy of 50 per cent of the loan.

The word "bankable" is the point of the scheme. GSCDC does not lend its own money here. It identifies eligible Scheduled Caste applicants, sponsors them to a nationalised bank, and then releases a capital subsidy against the loan the bank sanctions. This is why the application involves two institutions and why a quotation for the goods you intend to buy is a mandatory document.

Which trades are financed

GSCDC's page lists the activities it commonly funds: animal husbandry, readymade garments, cloth vending (kapad feri), grocery shops, embroidery (bharat gunthan), tailoring, beauty parlours, bamboo work, pan-bidi shops, footwear vending, RCC centering work and carpentry, among other small-scale trades. The list is illustrative rather than closed: any viable small trade, industry or service activity may be considered.

A note on the subsidy ceiling. GSCDC's own English scheme page states the subsidy as 50 per cent of the loan or a maximum of Rs 10,000 from Special Central Assistance. The national myScheme entry for the same scheme records the subsidy as 50 per cent or a maximum of Rs 50,000. Both are official sources and they do not agree, most likely because the ceiling was revised and one page has not been updated. Confirm the figure that applies to your application year with the district GSCDC office before you commit to a purchase plan.

Who is eligible for the Bankable Scheme?

You can apply if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste and hold a caste certificate from a Gujarat competent authority.
• You are a permanent resident of Gujarat.
• Your age is between 18 and 60 years.
• You are unemployed and capable of running the proposed business activity.
• Your annual family income is below Rs 1,50,000 if you live in an urban area, or below Rs 1,20,000 if you live in a rural area.
• You are not a defaulter of any bank, cooperative society or other financial institution.

You cannot apply if:

• You do not belong to a Scheduled Caste. Scheduled Tribe, SEBC, OBC and general category applicants must approach the corresponding corporation — for example the Gujarat Backward Classes Development Corporation or the Gujarat Unreserved Education and Economic Development Corporation.
• You are a resident of another state.
• You are under 18 or over 60 years of age.
• You are already in salaried employment. The scheme targets unemployed people starting their own activity.
• Your family income is above the urban or rural ceiling.
• You are currently a defaulter on any loan from a financial institution.

The income limits are strict and are checked against the income certificate you upload, so obtain a current certificate rather than reusing one issued years ago.

What are the benefits?

• Loan of up to Rs 2,00,000 in total, sanctioned by a nationalised bank.
• Sub-ceilings per GSCDC's own page: Rs 1,00,000 for trade or business and Rs 2,00,000 for an industry or service activity.
• Subsidy of 50 per cent of the loan amount, subject to the applicable monetary ceiling described above, paid from Special Central Assistance.
• Interest and repayment terms are set by the lending bank under its own small-loan norms.

The subsidy is not cash in hand. It is credited against the loan account, which reduces the amount you actually repay. Plan your working capital on the basis of the loan, not the subsidy.

What documents are required for the Bankable Scheme?

The Bahedhari Patrak trips up more applicants than any other document. It is a notarised undertaking on the prescribed format, not a plain self-declaration. Ask the district GSCDC office for the current format before you visit a notary.

How to apply for the Bankable Scheme

1. Open the GSCDC application portal at gscdconline.gujarat.gov.in.
2. Click New user (Register) and fill the registration form with your email ID, mobile number and a password, then click Submit. A user ID and password are generated on successful registration.
3. Log in with your user name, password and the captcha code.
4. After login, the portal shows the schemes applicable to your caste. Click on the Bankable Scheme.
5. Fill the application form and upload every required document, including the quotation and the notarised Bahedhari Patrak.
6. Click Save Application. The system generates an application number: note it down.
7. Click Print Application and keep the printout. Submit the signed printout with the original documents to your district GSCDC office when asked.
8. Attend the bank appraisal. Once GSCDC sponsors your case, the nationalised bank branch assesses the proposal and sanctions the loan.
9. After disbursement, GSCDC releases the subsidy against the loan account.

How do I check my application status?

1. Log in to gscdconline.gujarat.gov.in with the user ID you created.
2. Open the application list and search using your application number.
3. The status line shows whether the case is with GSCDC for scrutiny, sponsored to a bank, sanctioned, or returned.

For anything the portal does not explain, contact the district GSCDC office in your district headquarters, or the head office in Gandhinagar on 079-23253883. Once the file is with a bank branch, the branch manager is the person who can tell you where the appraisal stands.

Why Bankable Scheme applications get rejected

• Income above the ceiling. The commonest reason. The urban limit is Rs 1,50,000 and the rural limit Rs 1,20,000 a year.
• Age outside 18 to 60 years, checked against the school leaving certificate.
• Existing default with a bank or cooperative society, which disqualifies the applicant at the sponsorship stage.
• Missing or unnotarised Bahedhari Patrak.
• No quotation, or a quotation that does not match the activity described in the application.
• Caste certificate from outside Gujarat or issued by an authority that is not competent.
• Annual district target exhausted. GSCDC works to a district-wise physical target each year; a technically eligible application can be carried to the next cycle when the target is full.
• Bank refuses the appraisal on viability grounds. Sponsorship by GSCDC does not bind the bank to lend.

When can I apply?

GSCDC accepts Bankable Scheme applications through the year on the online portal, subject to the annual physical and financial target set for each district. There is no single statewide last date. Applying early in the financial year improves your chances, because sponsorship slows once a district's target is close to being met.

Where do I complain?

• Gujarat Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, Block No. 10, 2nd floor, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Gandhinagar; 079-23253883, 079-23253881, 079-23253878, 079-23253886.
• District GSCDC office for delays in scrutiny or sponsorship.
• The lending bank's branch manager, and above that the bank's grievance cell, for delays after the file has been sponsored.
• Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat, at sje.gujarat.gov.in, for escalation.

Registration and application are free. No agent can charge you for "getting a Bankable loan sanctioned", and GSCDC does not appoint private intermediaries.