Empowering Schedule Tribe/Schedule Caste Communities Using Information And Communication Technology Tools

What is the ICT empowerment scheme for SC and ST communities in Goa?

helping Schedule Tribe/Schedule Caste Communities Using Information And Communication Technology Tools is a training scheme of the Department of Information Technology, Government of Goa, delivered through Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited (ITG).

The scheme's purpose is digital access rather than cash. Members of Goa's Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities receive Information Technology training completely free of cost, ranging from basic computer literacy to job-oriented courses that can lead to employment.

The Department states three working aims for the programme:

• Provide basic computer skills to local youth, homemakers and other citizens.
• Provide structured training programmes shaped by what the community actually needs.
• Make at least one person in every family in the state IT literate.

Key features

• Training is free of cost for SC and ST beneficiaries.
• Courses cover basic computer skills and job-oriented IT training.
• Delivered at IT Knowledge Centres (ITKCs) and IT training centres empanelled by ITG.
• ITG receives Grant-in-Aid yearly under the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) and the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) to fund the training.
• The benefit is the fee waiver itself, there is no cash payment to the trainee.

Who is eligible for the free IT training?

You can apply if:

• You are of Goan origin.
• You belong to the Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste community.
• You apply for a course offered under the IT Knowledge Centres, available at an IT training centre empanelled by Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited.
• You hold a caste or social status certificate issued by the Deputy Collector.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You do not belong to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community. The scheme is funded from the TSP and SCSP allocations and is closed to other categories.
• You are not of Goan origin.
• The course you want is not offered under the IT Knowledge Centres, or the centre you have chosen is not empanelled by ITG.
• You have already availed the benefit for the same course at another IT Knowledge Centre. Availing the same course at multiple ITKCs is expressly excluded.

On income: no income ceiling is published for this scheme. Eligibility turns on Goan origin, community status and the course being an ITKC course, not on what the family earns.

What documents are required?

The educational qualification certificate matters more than it looks. Courses at IT Knowledge Centres carry their own entry-level requirements, and the qualification proof is what places an applicant in the right course.

How to apply for the free IT training

1. Identify an IT Knowledge Centre or IT training centre empanelled by Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited that offers the course you want, and confirm with the centre that the course is covered under the scheme.
2. Take a printout of the prescribed application form, or obtain a copy from the centre.
3. Fill in all mandatory fields, attach the passport-size photograph signed by you, and self-attest the copies of your caste or social status certificate from the Deputy Collector, birth certificate, Aadhaar card and educational qualification certificate.
4. Submit the completed form with the documents at the empanelled IT Knowledge Centre through which you wish to take the course. The application is addressed to The Managing Director, Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited, Panaji, Goa.
5. Keep a copy of the submitted application and collect any acknowledgement the centre issues, along with confirmation of your batch and start date.

How is the scheme funded and delivered?

Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited is the nominated implementing agency. ITG receives Grant-in-Aid on a yearly basis under the Tribal Sub Plan and the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan, and that grant is what pays for the trainings the beneficiary receives free.

The practical effect of this funding route is worth understanding. Because the grant is annual and allocated between the TSP and SCSP heads, the number of seats available in any year is finite. There is no published cash entitlement to claim; the benefit is the training seat itself, which is why applying early in a batch cycle matters.

What training is covered?

The scheme covers, as published by the Department:

• Basic computer skills for local youth, homemakers and other citizens.
• Various job-oriented Information Technology training courses.
• Structural training programmes designed according to the needs of the community.

The specific course list is the one offered under the IT Knowledge Centres at the empanelled centres, so it is settled by ITG rather than fixed permanently in the scheme document. Confirm the current course list with the centre before applying.

Why applications get rejected

• Caste certificate not issued by the Deputy Collector, or issued outside Goa.
• Course not covered under the IT Knowledge Centres, or the centre not empanelled by ITG.
• Same course already availed at another ITKC, an express exclusion.
• Educational qualification below the course entry level, so the applicant cannot be placed in that batch.
• Photograph unsigned, or documents not self-attested.
• Batch already full for the funding cycle.

Where to get help

• The Managing Director, Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited, Panaji, Goa — the addressee for applications and the implementing agency for the scheme.
• Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa, at infotech.goa.gov.in, for scheme notifications.
• Your empanelled IT Knowledge Centre, for the current course list, batch schedule and form.
• Info Tech Corporation of Goa Ltd department page on goa.gov.in for official directory details.

No verified dedicated helpline number is published for this scheme, so none is listed here. Approach the empanelled centre or ITG directly rather than a third-party number.

A note on scope

This is a Tier 3 scheme whose published framework is compact, who qualifies, what documents establish that, where to apply, who implements it and how it is funded. This guide reflects exactly that and does not invent a course catalogue, a stipend or an income test that the scheme does not have. SC and ST applicants in Goa looking for cash-linked skilling or self-employment support should look separately at the Directorate of Tribal Welfare's schemes, including the Goa Tribal's Employment Generation Programme.

How to check your application status

This scheme has no online portal and no application-tracking ID system, so status checking is entirely manual, through the empanelled centre and Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited (ITG), not through a website login.

At the IT Knowledge Centre where you applied

1. Keep the acknowledgement or dated receipt the centre gave you at submission. That receipt, not an application number, is your proof of having applied.
2. Visit or call the same centre and ask whether your form has been forwarded to ITG and whether a batch has been allotted to you.
3. Ask specifically for your batch number and start date, since the centre allots seats as the year's Grant-in-Aid funding is released, not immediately on submission.

With Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited (ITG), Panaji

1. If the centre cannot confirm your status, or several weeks have passed with no word, contact the Managing Director's office at ITG directly, since applications are formally addressed there and the centre only forwards them.
2. Reference the course name, the centre you applied through, and the date you submitted your form when you enquire, as these details substitute for a tracking number.
3. Ask whether the year's TSP and SCSP Grant-in-Aid allocation for that course has been received and whether seats are still open, since a delay is often a funding-cycle issue rather than a problem with your specific form.

What a status enquiry actually tells you

Because there is no cash disbursal to track, "status" here means one of three things: your form is still pending review at the centre, it has been forwarded to ITG and is awaiting seat allotment, or you have been placed in a batch with a confirmed start date. There is no rejection letter or online rejection status; if your form does not qualify, the centre will typically tell you at enquiry rather than through a formal notice, so a direct follow-up is the only way to find out.

If you get no response

Escalate to the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa (infotech.goa.gov.in), which oversees ITG, rather than a third-party number, since no dedicated helpline is published for this scheme.