Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes

What is the Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes?

The Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes is a Central Sector scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Its purpose is to use the reach of voluntary organisations to deliver services in tribal areas where government machinery is thin: remote blocks, forest fringe villages and hamlets that formal schemes struggle to service.

According to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the objective is to enhance the reach of government welfare schemes and fill gaps in service-deficient tribal areas in sectors such as education, health, drinking water, agro-horticultural productivity and the social security net, and to create a favourable environment for the socio-economic upliftment of Scheduled Tribes.

Main features

• Central Sector scheme, fully funded by the Government of India.
• The grant is generally restricted to 90% of the approved project cost; the organisation bears the remaining 10%.
• Applications are online only, through the Ministry's NGO portal at ngo.tribal.gov.in. Physical proposals are not accepted.
• NGO Darpan registration with NITI Aayog and a valid NGO Unique ID are prerequisites.
• Proposals are routed through the State Committee for Support of Voluntary Efforts (SCSVE) of the concerned state or union territory.

Who is eligible for the Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations scheme?

An organisation can apply if:

• It is a registered voluntary organisation or NGO; under the Societies Registration Act, a state public trusts Act, or as a Section 8 company.
• Its memorandum and bye-laws include the conduct and promotion of social welfare, and specifically work for Scheduled Tribes.
• It is registered on NGO Darpan and holds a valid NGO Unique ID.
• It has audited accounts and annual reports establishing a track record and financial discipline.
• It can put in the 10% own share of the project cost.
• It works in an area with a Scheduled Tribe population that the project will serve.

Who cannot apply:

• Individuals cannot apply. A tribal family, student or social worker is not eligible for a personal grant under this scheme. Individual benefits for ST citizens come through the pre-matric and post-matric scholarships, the national fellowship and overseas scholarship schemes, and state schemes.
• Unregistered groups and informal collectives are not eligible, however genuine their work.
• For-profit companies and firms are outside the scope of the scheme.
• Organisations without an NGO Darpan unique ID cannot even open a proposal on the portal.
• Organisations with pending utilisation certificates or adverse inspection findings on earlier grants are not considered for fresh sanction.

What documents does an NGO need?

How to apply for the Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations scheme

1. Register the organisation on NGO Darpan at the NITI Aayog portal and obtain the NGO Unique ID. Keep the registration details, PAN and office bearer details consistent with your registration certificate.
2. Create the organisation's login on ngo.tribal.gov.in, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs NGO portal, using the NGO Darpan unique ID.
3. Fill the project proposal online, sector, location, number of Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries, staffing pattern, recurring and non-recurring cost, and the organisation's own 10% contribution.
4. Upload the supporting documents: registration certificate, memorandum and bye-laws, audited accounts and annual reports, and bank details.
5. Submit the proposal, which is routed to the State or UT Tribal Welfare Department. District-level officers inspect the project site and scrutinise the proposal.
6. The State Committee for Support of Voluntary Efforts (SCSVE) considers the proposal, records its recommendation and uploads the minutes on the portal.
7. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs appraises the recommended proposal and issues the sanction; the grant is released to the organisation's bank account.
8. File utilisation certificates, audited accounts and progress reports, these are required both for subsequent instalments and for any renewal.

Proposals must be filed in the window the Ministry opens on the portal for the financial year. Track the portal rather than waiting for individual intimation.

What projects does the scheme support?

Sanctioned projects fall into broad sector-wise categories that address service gaps in tribal areas:

• Education: running and maintaining residential and non-residential schools and hostels for ST children.
• Health — dispensaries, mobile medical units and health awareness work in tribal blocks.
• Drinking water and basic sanitation interventions.
• Livelihoods, agro-horticultural productivity, vocational and computer training centres.
• Social security net activities that connect tribal families to existing government entitlements.

The Ministry decides the sanctioned mix each year; a project is funded on its merits and on the state committee's recommendation, not by category quota.

Conditions attached to the grant

• The organisation must contribute 10% of the approved cost from its own resources.
• Grants are released project-wise, and continuation in the next year is not automatic.
• Utilisation certificates and audited statements are compulsory; pending certificates block further release.
• Projects are open to inspection by district officers and the state committee.
• Staff salaries and other recurring costs are admissible only within the sanctioned pattern.

Related routes and where to get help

• Ministry's NGO portal: ngo.tribal.gov.in, proposals, status and formats.
• tribal.nic.in/NGO.aspx; scheme information and guidelines.
• State Tribal Welfare Department, the point of contact for inspection, state committee scheduling and proposal status.

For state-level infrastructure, the Ministry funds governments separately through Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution; NGOs are not eligible under that head. Both guides are on this site.

No fee is payable for filing a proposal, and no consultant can guarantee a sanction. Every proposal has to pass district inspection and the state committee.