The Constitution of India is very emphatic about improving the oppressed classes of society, particularly the Scheduled Castes. The Government of India has taken initiatives to develop this deprived section of society through their education, economic and social empowerment. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has introduced various schemes and programmes for the upliftment of Scheduled Castes. National Scheduled Caste Finance Development Corporation (NSFDC; 1989) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) provides loans under different schemes costing upto Rs.30.00 lakh  for the projects proposed by Scheduled Caste persons for any income generating activity. This study is focused on examining the status of NSFDC schemes during the 11^th and 12^th five-year plan period. The allocation of funds and actual disbursement of NSFDC funds has been compared in the present study. Regression analysis showed that the actual disbursement of funds in the previous year is a significant predictor of allocation of funds in the current year. Further, there was no significant difference between urban and rural beneficiaries. The women beneficiaries were more when compared to men. These findings clearly indicate that the NSFDC schemes fund allocation is based on previous year actual. The consistent increase in beneficiaries’ coverage shows that NSFDC works for the economic well-being of the scheduled caste.

KEY WORDS: NSFDC, Allocation, Actuals, Scheduled Castes, Gender, Rural/Urban

JEL CLASSIFICATION: D61, H81, I38