Economic Inclusion Initiatives Promote Entrepreneurship, Livelihoods and Rehabilitation Among Marginalised Communities
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is promoting entrepreneurship, livelihoods, and rehabilitation among marginalised communities through initiatives like the Venture Capital Funds for Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, and the SMILE scheme. These programs provide concessional financial assistance, support innovation among young researchers, and offer comprehensive rehabilitation for persons engaged in begging.
Why It Matters
This press release contains factual data regarding government schemes such as VCF-SC, VCF-BC, ASIIM, and the SMILE scheme, which are relevant for competitive exams covering government welfare policies and economic inclusion.
In Simple Words
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is working to improve livelihoods and support entrepreneurship for marginalised groups through the Economic Inclusion Division. Key programs include Venture Capital Funds for Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes, offering financial assistance to businesses.
Additional efforts include the Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission for young researchers and the SMILE scheme for the rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging. These initiatives aim to create jobs, build productive assets, and advance social justice.
Key Points
- VCF-SC has a total corpus of Rs 750 crore and provides financial assistance ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 crore at a 4 per cent interest rate.
- As of May 2026, financial assistance of Rs 613.02 crore was approved for 145 companies under VCF-SC, with Rs 437.74 crore disbursed to 123 companies.
- Ambedkar Social Innovation and Incubation Mission (ASIIM) was launched on September 30, 2020, to support innovative ideas by young SC researchers with up to Rs 30 lakh.
- Under ASIIM, Rs 29.11 crore has been sanctioned to 114 companies and Rs 13.27 crore disbursed to 91 companies.
- VCF-BC was launched in October 2019 with a corpus of Rs 200 crore, providing financial assistance from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 15 crore at a 6 per cent interest rate.
- Under VCF-BC, financial assistance of Rs 142.88 crore has been approved for 31 companies, of which Rs 70.23 crore has been disbursed to 19 companies.
- Venture Capital Funds have supported 329 SC entrepreneurs and 35 BC entrepreneurs, generating around 4,500 direct and indirect employment opportunities.
- Under the SMILE scheme's rehabilitation component for persons engaged in begging, central assistance of Rs 46.16 crore was released from October 23, 2023, through FY 2025-26.
Exam Angle
A. Rs 750 crore
Source: Press Information Bureau