Funding your own business: self-employment schemes for disabled entrepreneurs

The National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC) offers concessional loans to disabled applicants starting a business, generally open to ages 18 to 59 with a benchmark disability and a modest family income. It doesn't lend directly — applications route through a State Channelizing Agency, which in Goa is handled through the state's own finance corporation or the Directorate of Social Welfare.

The honest caveat: disbursal through the state channel is reported to be slow and inconsistent in practice, even when the scheme is listed as active on paper. It's worth applying regardless — a project report for your business plan, plus income certificate, UDID, and ID, is the full submission — but it's also worth not waiting on it exclusively.

MUDRA loans are the practical fallback: available through any public bank, up to ₹10 lakh, no collateral required, and open to any small-business applicant — not disability-exclusive, but far more consistently accessible in practice than the disability-specific route often is.