The Left Front has taken a major step towards upliftment of the backward classes in West Bengal. It has emerged as the first government in the country to introduce education loan for the scheduled castes. It is also the first to introduce online facility for availing the loan.

The Government has tied up with the National Scheduled Caste Finance Development Corporation (NSCFDC) to make the recently introduced education loan scheme available for the backward classes.

In order to facilitate easy as faster disbursal of loan, the West Bengal SC/ST Development and Finance Corporation (WBSCSTDFC) has launched a website for online loan application.

"A candidate can download the application and apply online sitting in the remote corner of the state. He has to show up only once in the final stage of the disbursement and the funds go straight to his educational institution," said Debashis Bose, managing director, WBSCSTDFC. The website is (www.wbsed.gov.in/wbscstdfc).

The loan limit for SC/ST candidates is Rs 7.50 lakhs for students availing it within India and Rs 15 lakh for those availing it for abroad studies.