Sarkari Yojana
Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations Working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes
About Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations Working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, runs this Central Sector Scheme to widen the reach of government welfare programmes into tribal areas that remain under-served in education, health, drinking water, agro-horticulture, and social security, by channelling resources through voluntary organisations. Its broader purpose is to create conditions for the all-round socio-economic advancement of Scheduled Tribes (STs), and it remains open to any other innovative voluntary initiative that directly improves ST livelihoods or socio-economic standing.
Scheme Overview
Central Government
Ministry Of Tribal Affairs
Ministry Of Tribal Affairs, Government Of India
Scheme Details
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations Working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, applicants must satisfy the following conditions:
The applicant must be a registered voluntary organisation…
The applicant must be a registered voluntary organisation (VO) or non-governmental organisation (NGO) engaged in promoting the social welfare of Scheduled Tribes.
It must be registered under the Societies Registration…
It must be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (or the corresponding State Society Registration law), as a Public Trust, or as an institution under any other applicable statute.
It must be registered on the NGO-Darpan portal…
It must be registered on the NGO-Darpan portal of NITI Aayog (www.ngodarpan.gov.in).
It must have at least three years' experience…
It must have at least three years' experience running activities comparable in scale and purpose to the project for which funding is sought.
The applicant organisation must implement the project itself…
The applicant organisation must implement the project itself rather than pass the grant on to another entity to manage.
It must agree to the Ministry's terms and…
It must agree to the Ministry's terms and conditions and execute an MoU as set out in Annexure 2.
It must maintain an Aadhaar-linked bank account in…
It must maintain an Aadhaar-linked bank account in its own name, jointly operated by the President and Secretary (or their authorised signatories) at a scheduled bank, per prevailing Government of India instructions.
It must hold PAN and TAN numbers in…
It must hold PAN and TAN numbers in its own name and have filed Income Tax Returns for at least the preceding three years.
It must be registered under Section 12A of…
It must be registered under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act.
It must not be facing bankruptcy, nor be…
It must not be facing bankruptcy, nor be under investigation for economic offences by the CBI, ED, CBIC, or any other Union/State agency.
It must be financially sound enough to co-finance…
It must be financially sound enough to co-finance part of the project, since Ministry support is restricted to the core activities defined in Annexure-1.
Before the grant is considered, it must furnish…
Before the grant is considered, it must furnish details of its trustees, promoters, beneficial owners, and Management Committee, along with their PAN and Aadhaar numbers, in the prescribed format.
It must not have been blacklisted by NITI…
It must not have been blacklisted by NITI Aayog or any Union/State Ministry or government body.
A project generally needs at least 75 beneficiaries…
A project generally needs at least 75 beneficiaries to commence; however, with adequate justification from the State's Tribal Welfare Department, an educational project may start with as few as 25 ST students, subject to approval by the Minister of Tribal Affairs.
Benefits Provided
Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations Working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes provides the following benefits to eligible applicants:
Grant-in-aid is considered for indicative project categories across…
Grant-in-aid is considered for indicative project categories across these sectors:
Education -- running and maintaining non-residential schools, residential schools, and hostels.
Education -- sponsoring tribal girls from the North Eastern States (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim) as well as from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, for study at reputed institutions.
Health -- running and maintaining hospitals or dispensaries with 10 or more beds.
Health -- operating mobile dispensaries.
Livelihood -- boosting livelihood and income-generation opportunities through infrastructure support and capacity building in areas such as agriculture, fisheries, dairying and animal husbandry, water conservation, and organic/natural farming.
During natural calamities, disasters, or a pandemic, the…
During natural calamities, disasters, or a pandemic, the Ministry may also fund emergency health services -- including food and water supply -- through NGOs in the affected area, under norms finalised with the IFD and approved by the Minister of Tribal Affairs.
Programmes benefiting Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Left-Wing…
Programmes benefiting Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts, and tribal populations in remote or difficult terrain are given priority.
Grants to organisations follow the project-specific norms set…
Grants to organisations follow the project-specific norms set out in Annexure-1, within the prescribed ceilings for recurring and non-recurring grants.
Documents Required
Applicants should keep the following documents ready before starting the application:
A copy of the organisation's PAN card
A copy of the organisation's PAN card.
Budget estimates prepared as per the prescribed norms
Budget estimates prepared as per the prescribed norms.
Project-wise audited accounts with the auditor's report, and…
Project-wise audited accounts with the auditor's report, and the organisation's annual report, both covering the last two years.
A staff list in the prescribed format, where…
A staff list in the prescribed format, where the project is already operational.
Beneficiary details, again where the project is already…
Beneficiary details, again where the project is already running.
A signed inspection report
A signed inspection report.
The registration certificate issued under Section 12A of…
The registration certificate issued under Section 12A of the Income Tax Act.
A list of the Management Committee, including beneficial…
A list of the Management Committee, including beneficial owners.
A self-declaration confirming the location and legitimacy of…
A self-declaration confirming the location and legitimacy of the project premises.
A surety bond, accompanied by the Governing Body's…
A surety bond, accompanied by the Governing Body's resolution and an authorisation letter.
Details of the Aadhaar-linked bank account
Details of the Aadhaar-linked bank account.
How to Apply
Online Application
Applicants can apply for Scheme of Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Organisations Working for the Welfare of Scheduled Tribes through the online application process outlined below.
Application Processes:
Both new and ongoing NGOs must route every…
Both new and ongoing NGOs must route every grant proposal through the Ministry's NGO portal; physical/paper proposals are not accepted.
The organisation first registers on the NGO-Darpan Portal…
The organisation first registers on the NGO-Darpan Portal (www.ngodarpan.gov.in) run by NITI Aayog.
Once NGO-Darpan registration is in hand, the organisation…
Once NGO-Darpan registration is in hand, the organisation registers on the Ministry of Tribal Affairs' NGO portal (www.ngo.tribal.gov.in) and files its online application with complete project details and the required supporting documents.
An organisation running several similar projects of the…
An organisation running several similar projects of the same category within one district can file one consolidated application for all of them, subject to being recommended by the Principal Secretary or officer in charge of the State's Tribal Welfare Department.
NGOs must record their expenditure on the Receipt,…
NGOs must record their expenditure on the Receipt, Expenditure, Advance, Transfer (REAT) Module of PFMS and refund any bank interest earned, in line with the latest General Financial Rules (GFR).
NGOs can raise queries or grievances through the…
NGOs can raise queries or grievances through the NGO portal's communication module, which routes district- or state-level issues to the relevant authority for online resolution and updates. States are expected to keep officer contact details current and ensure grievances are resolved, with helpline details displayed on the State Tribal Welfare Department's portal. Note: The Ministry's NGO Portal typically stays open for 90 days, from 15th July to 30th September (or as otherwise notified), for both new and ongoing project applications. Scrutiny and Inspection at the State Level:
Online applications are routed to the State/UT Tribal…
Online applications are routed to the State/UT Tribal Welfare Department's account for inspection by a District Level Officer, using login credentials issued by the Ministry at both the State and District level.
After inspecting the project, the District Level Officer…
After inspecting the project, the District Level Officer uploads comments, a signed and stamped inspection form, and other required documents on the portal, per the Ministry's stipulated format.
The State Government/UT Administration examines the projects forwarded…
The State Government/UT Administration examines the projects forwarded by the District Level Officer.
The State Committee for Support of Voluntary Efforts…
The State Committee for Support of Voluntary Efforts (SCSVE), chaired by the Principal Secretary/Officer in-charge of the Tribal or Social Welfare Department, makes specific recommendations within the Ministry's timelines, recording reasons wherever a project is not recommended; the meeting's minutes are uploaded to the portal in the Ministry's prescribed format. Screening and Approval at the Ministry Level:
New projects that have been inspected, forwarded by…
New projects that have been inspected, forwarded by the district administration, and recommended by the State Committee are scrutinised by the NGO Division, headed by a Deputy Secretary/Director; short-listed projects may undergo further assessment, including field-based pre-funding appraisal by an independent agency, with detailed recommendation notes prepared against available scheme funds.
All screened projects go before a Project Appraisal…
All screened projects go before a Project Appraisal Committee (PAC), chaired by the Joint Secretary, Tribal Affairs, for final recommendation, which weighs fund availability and prioritises the most pressing projects.
A project recommended by the PAC becomes eligible…
A project recommended by the PAC becomes eligible for grants only upon final sanction by the Minister of Tribal Affairs.
A new project approved by the Ministry but…
A new project approved by the Ministry but not started or operationalised is treated as a fresh application the following year -- the verification process (except State recommendation) is waived if the organisation justifies the delay; failure to run the project in consecutive years requires it to reapply as a new project. Procedure for Renewal of Application for the Ongoing Projects:
For continuation into the next financial year, the…
For continuation into the next financial year, the organisation must submit a fresh application for its ongoing project.
Continuation remains subject to GFR provisions and Ministry…
Continuation remains subject to GFR provisions and Ministry of Finance guidelines, and requires: a. An online application filed on the portal in the prescribed format. b. A Utilisation Certificate for the last grant released, in the GFR-12-A format. c. Audited accounts for the previous year, showing expenditure against each sanctioned item versus the grant sanctioned. d. Budget estimates for the financial year for which the grant-in-aid is sought. e. Filing of the expenditure statement in the REAT Module.
Ongoing-project applications filed online are shared with the…
Ongoing-project applications filed online are shared with the concerned State; the Principal Secretary/officer in charge of the State Tribal Welfare Department verifies the submitted documents and arranges field verification through the District Collector or District Welfare Officer (or another district/state authority), who uploads a signed and stamped inspection report checking for any change in name, constitution, project location, beneficiary numbers, complaints, or Ministry-referred inspection requirements.
The Principal Secretary/Officer in charge of the Tribal…
The Principal Secretary/Officer in charge of the Tribal Welfare Department can forward ongoing-project applications to the Ministry without SCSVE approval.
Any change in project specifics -- location, name,…
Any change in project specifics -- location, name, or an increase in beneficiary numbers -- is considered by the Ministry only on the specific recommendation of the State's Principal Secretary/Officer in charge, subject to fund availability, with certification that infrastructure can support the higher beneficiary count.
Where a State does not recommend an ongoing…
Where a State does not recommend an ongoing project for the current year, it must state its reasons; if a project is recommended this year after non-recommendation in earlier years, reasons for the earlier non-recommendation must also be given.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs normally releases funds…
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs normally releases funds on the State Government's recommendation, in line with Ministry of Finance instructions and the latest GFR provisions.
Official Application & Website
Verify the latest eligibility, dates and instructions before applying.