Microcredit Finance Scheme — Self Help Groups (Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam)

What is the Microcredit Finance Scheme for Self Help Groups?

Microcredit Finance Scheme; Self Help Groups is a small-loan scheme of the Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam, the Scheduled Caste corporation set up under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat. In Gujarati the scheme appears as Microcredit Finance Yojana; Sva Sahay Jooth, and the corporation itself is written as Dr. Ambedkar Antyoday Vikas Nigam (Anu. Jati).

According to the corporation's own scheme sheet published on sje.gujarat.gov.in, the stated purpose is to give micro-credit to unemployed persons of the Antyodaya castes, both to their self-help groups and to individuals, so that they can start a small, ground-level trade or business and create their own employment.

The corporation was created by a state resolution in 2001, reorganised in 2012 and renamed after Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. It works from Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, 4th Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10-B, Gandhinagar, and runs all its lending through the online portal daadconline.gujarat.gov.in.

How much money does the scheme give?

The scheme's financial structure is short and fixed, and every figure below is printed on the corporation's scheme sheet:

Two points are worth reading twice. First, the Rs 2,500 beneficiary contribution is real money the applicant must bring; the state pays the other Rs 47,500 of the Rs 50,000 unit. Second, the Rs 5 lakh group ceiling is a cap on the group, not an extra entitlement; at Rs 50,000 a head it works out to about ten financed members in one self-help group.

At 6 per cent over 36 months, an instalment of roughly Rs 1,445 a month repays the loan. Borrowers should plan for that outgo from the first full month after disbursement rather than assume a holiday period, because the corporation's sheet does not publish any moratorium.

Who is eligible for the Antyodaya microcredit loan?

You can apply if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste of Gujarat covered by the Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam and hold a caste certificate from the competent authority.
• You are a native resident of Gujarat.
• You are 18 years or older, the minimum age shown on the corporation's loan portal.
• Your family income is within Rs 3,00,000 a year, the ceiling displayed on daadconline.gujarat.gov.in for the corporation's current lending round.
• You are unemployed or under-employed and want to start a small trade — the scheme is written for exactly this group, whether you apply through a self-help group or on your own.
• You hold a bank account in your own name for disbursement and recovery.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not from a Scheduled Caste of Gujarat, or are not a resident of the state.
• You are in government or semi-government service, which the corporation's portal notice lists as a disqualification.
• You are under 18.
• Your family income exceeds the ceiling notified for the round.
• You already have an outstanding loan running with the corporation, or a member of your family has taken a direct loan, the Gujarat corporations lend to one beneficiary per family.
• You cannot put up the 5 per cent beneficiary contribution of Rs 2,500.

What documents are required?

Scan every document as a clear, readable file before starting. The portal rejects the confirmation step if the photograph and signature are not uploaded in the prescribed size, and a blurred income certificate is the single most common reason an otherwise good application is sent back.

How to apply for the Microcredit Finance Scheme online

1. Open the corporation's loan portal at daadconline.gujarat.gov.in and read the notice board, which carries the schemes currently open and the last date for the round.
2. Register as a new user with your mobile number and create a login, then sign in to the applicant dashboard.
3. Select Microcredit Finance Scheme; Self Help Group from the scheme list and fill in the online application with your personal details, caste, family income, the trade you plan to start and your bank account details.
4. Use Edit Application to correct anything before you go further; changes are far harder once the application is confirmed.
5. Upload your photograph and signature in the prescribed size.
6. Upload the scanned documents, caste certificate, income certificate, Aadhaar, residence proof, age proof and bank passbook.
7. Confirm the application. Until this step is done, the application is only a draft and is not placed before the corporation.
8. Print the application, sign it, and submit the signed printout with self-attested copies of the documents to the corporation as instructed on the acknowledgement.

How to apply offline

1. Visit the corporation's office at Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, 4th Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10-B, Gandhinagar, or telephone 079-2325 6325 to ask which district office is handling applications for your area.
2. Ask for the Microcredit Finance Scheme form and the current round's notice, and take help there to complete the online application, since submission itself is online.
3. Hand over the signed printout and the self-attested document set, and keep the acknowledgement with the application number.

Self-help groups should send one member with the group register and member list so that all members' applications are entered against the same group, which is what keeps the group within the Rs 5 lakh ceiling.

How do I check my application status?

Log in to daadconline.gujarat.gov.in with the same user ID and open the application dashboard, where each application shows its stage: submitted, document verification, sanctioned or rejected. Keep the printed application number handy. For anything the dashboard does not explain, the corporation's Gandhinagar office on 079-2325 6325 is the point of contact; a written query addressed to the Managing Director of the Nigam is the formal route.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix them

• Income certificate above the ceiling. The commonest single reason. Get a fresh certificate from the Mamlatdar for the correct financial year.
• Caste certificate not from the competent authority, or a photocopy that cannot be read. Upload a clear scan of the original certificate.
• Name mismatch between Aadhaar, bank passbook and the caste certificate. Correct the bank record first, then reapply.
• Application left unconfirmed. A draft application that was never confirmed and printed is not considered at all.
• An unpaid earlier loan with the corporation, or another loan in the same family. Clear the earlier account first.
• Applying after the last date of the round. The portal closes the scheme at midnight on the announced date and does not accept late applications.

Key dates

The corporation does not run a permanent open window. Each lending round is announced on the portal with a closing date, the round displayed on daadconline.gujarat.gov.in closes at midnight on 14 August 2026. Because the rounds follow the corporation's budget allocation, the safest habit is to keep documents ready in scanned form and check the portal at the start of each financial year.

Grievance and contact

• Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam, Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, 4th Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10-B, Gandhinagar, telephone +91 79 2325 6325.
• Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Block 5, 8th Floor, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, for departmental grievances.
• Applying is free. No agent can charge a fee for "getting your loan sanctioned", and no official will ask for your portal password or an OTP.