New Swarnim Yojana (for women only) — Gujarat Nomadic and Denotified Tribes Development Corporation

What is New Swarnim Yojana for nomadic and denotified tribe women?

New Swarnim Yojana is a self-employment loan scheme of the Gujarat Nomadic and Denotified Tribes Development Corporation (Gujarat Vicharti ane Vimukt Jati Vikas Nigam), which works under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat. The corporation describes it as a special new scheme for women of nomadic and denotified castes living below the poverty line, to help them achieve economic advancement through self-employment with dignity. In Gujarati it is listed as Nyu Swarnim Yojana (fakt mahilao mate), New Swarnim Yojana, for women only.

The scheme is distinctive on three counts. It lends up to Rs 2,00,000 at 5 per cent a year, it funds 100 per cent of the business cost, and the beneficiary's own contribution is zero. Of the loan amount, 95 per cent comes from the national corporation and 5 per cent from the Gujarat government, and the woman puts in nothing. Repayment is in 60 equal monthly instalments including interest.

Just as important, the woman picks her own trade. The corporation states that the beneficiary may carry on a business or occupation of her own choice, and it separately publishes a list of model trades with credit limits, vegetable and fruit shops, broom-making, bamboo work, scrap buying and selling, and milch cattle among them. Those are indicative, not a closed list.

Who is eligible for New Swarnim Yojana, and who is not?

A woman can take this loan if:

• She belongs to a nomadic (vicharti) or denotified (vimukt) caste of Gujarat. The corporation lists 28 nomadic castes: including Bajaniya, Bhand, Garudi, Kathodi, Nath, Kotwaliya, Turi, Vitoliya, Vadi, Vansfoda, Bava Vairagi, Bhavaiya, Garo, Marwada Vaghri, Od, Pardhi, Raval, Shikligar, Saraniya, Vanzara, Jogi, Bhopa, Gadaliya, Kangsiya, Ghantiya, Chamatha, Charan-Gadhvi and Salat Ghera, and 11 denotified castes, including Bafan, Chhara, Dafer, Hingora, Me (Meta), Sandhi, Theba, Wagher, Devipujak and Chunvaliya Koli.
• Her family's annual income is up to Rs 3,00,000. Since 1 April 2018 that is the ceiling, and within it, families with income up to Rs 1,50,000 a year get at least 50 per cent of the total lending allotted to them.
• She is at least 21 and not more than 50 years old on the date of application.
• She has experience in the trade, where the business is technical or requires skill.
• She can give suitable surety (guarantors) for the loan.

A person cannot apply if:

• The applicant is a man — the scheme is restricted to women.
• The caste is not on Gujarat's nomadic or denotified list.
• Family income exceeds Rs 3,00,000 a year.
• The applicant is below 21 or above 50 on the date of application.
• The applicant already has an unpaid loan from the corporation. The corporation's own application portal states plainly that applicants who have previously taken a loan, or whose loan repayment is outstanding, should not apply again.
• No acceptable guarantor or security can be offered.

What documents are required?

How to apply for New Swarnim Yojana

1. Check that the online window is open. The corporation announces on its website when the online loan application system is accepting applications, and opens it against annual targets. Applying outside the window is wasted effort.
2. Open the online loan application from the "Apply Online Loan Application" link on the corporation's website, and register with your own mobile number. The corporation insists the applicant use her own number and keep it active, because every update on the application is sent by SMS.
3. Fill in the application: personal details, caste, family income, the trade you intend to start, the loan amount sought and your bank account.
4. Upload the photograph and signature, then the documents, caste certificate, income certificate, age proof, Aadhaar, ration card and bank passbook.
5. Confirm the application. This step is the one applicants most often miss. An application that has been filled and uploaded but not confirmed is not treated as submitted. Print the confirmed application and note the application number, which doubles as your confirmation number.
6. Submit the printed application with original documents at your district corporation office. The office of the District Deputy Director (Vicharti Jati) or the Social Welfare Officer (Corporation) for your district.
7. Complete loan documentation after in-principle sanction. This normally means a notarised surety deed on stamp paper from you and from two guarantors, a demand promissory note, a loan agreement, signed cheques and a charge (bojo) entered on immovable property in the corporation's favour. Your district office will hand you the exact list of annexures.
8. Start repayment. The loan runs for 60 equal monthly instalments including 5 per cent annual interest, and instalments can be paid online through the corporation's payment link or at the district office.

How do you check the status of an application?

The online loan application system carries a "Know Application Status" page. Enter your application or confirmation number to see the stage of the file. If you have lost the number, the same portal has a "Know App No" page to retrieve it. For anything beyond the portal, the district office that holds your physical file is the right place to ask, and the head office can be reached at +91 79 23258775 or md-ntdnt-gnr@gujarat.gov.in.

Why are applications rejected, and how do you fix them?

• Application filled but never confirmed. Go back into the portal and complete the Confirm Application step, then print the confirmed copy.
• Documents not uploaded in time. The corporation notes that applications from earlier years that were never completed with loan documentation stand un-sanctioned, and such applicants must apply afresh rather than revive the old file.
• Income certificate above Rs 3,00,000. Obtain a current certificate within the limit; an out-of-date certificate is a common ground for return.
• Age outside 21 to 50. The age is counted on the date of application, so a woman close to 50 should not delay.
• Weak surety. Guarantors must have documentation and property proof the corporation can accept, and a charge has to be created in the corporation's favour. Line up guarantors before applying, not after.
• An earlier corporation loan still outstanding. Clear the earlier loan first; a second application while a loan is running will not be entertained.

Where do you complain or ask for help?

The first stop is your district corporation office. Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Himatnagar and Patan offices, among others, are listed with addresses and telephone numbers on the corporation's contact page, and each is headed by a District Deputy Director (Vicharti Jati) or Social Welfare Officer acting as District Manager.

The state office is the Gujarat Nomadic and Denotified Tribes Development Corporation, Block 19, 2nd Floor, Dr Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Gandhinagar, telephone +91 79 23258775, email md-ntdnt-gnr@gujarat.gov.in.

If New Swarnim Yojana does not fit, the same corporation runs four other economic schemes worth asking about: Mahila Samruddhi Yojana for women, micro finance with a ceiling of Rs 1,25,000 at 5 per cent repayable in 48 instalments with a 5 per cent beneficiary contribution, a term loan, and Swayam Saksham Yojana. For education, the corporation's New Aakansha Yojana funds professional courses such as medicine, engineering, MCA, MBA and nursing for students admitted through the state's admission committee.