News Views
News Views
Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Among Scheduled Castes
The central government has launched several schemes to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among Scheduled Castes. Under these schemes, the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes( VCF- SC) provides concessional financing ranging from 10 lakh to 15 crore rupees at a 4 % coupon rate, with a total fund of 750 crore rupees. This fund is managed by IFCI Venture Capital Limited.
According to Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar, the Ambedkar Social
Innovation and Incubation Mission( ASIIM), Technology Business Incubators( TBI), and Atal Incubation Centers( AIC) also support Scheduled Caste students, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Under ASIIM, equity funding of 30 lakh rupees is provided over three years to support start-ups in sectors such as agricultural technology, IT, environment, waste management, and green energy. So far, under ASIIM and the VCF-SC for Scheduled Castes, financial assistance of 588.4 crore rupees has been approved for 245
Scheduled Caste-owned companies.
Currently, there are no plans to establish a Social Innovation Center for business ventures and start-ups for the Scheduled Caste community. However, initiatives such as ASIIM and VCF-SC continue to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. In addition, steps have been taken to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem for Scheduled Castes and other marginalized communities through mentorship support and market access via the PM Suraj digital interface.
April vizSy 2025 2025 | Dalit Andolan Patrika 47