The scheme

What is Stand-Up India?

स्टैंड-अप इंडिया क्या है?

Stand-Up India is a Government of India credit scheme, run by the Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance, that helps women, Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) entrepreneurs borrow from banks to set up a new enterprise. The loan is above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹1 crore. Its stated objective is for every bank branch to lend to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one woman borrower for a greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services, trading or an activity allied to agriculture.

The scheme was launched on 5 April 2016. Its scheme period ran to 31 March 2025, and on 11 November 2026 the Union Cabinet approved its continuation up to 31 March 2031.

A short definition

In plain terms, Stand-Up India is a bank loan with special rules. It is not a grant and not a subsidy. You repay it with interest. What makes it different from an ordinary business loan is this:

It is reserved for women, SC and ST entrepreneurs.
It is only for a first-time (greenfield) venture.
The interest rate has a ceiling linked to the bank’s MCLR.
The bank can lend without collateral, backed by a government-supported credit guarantee.
You get help with training, mentoring and the project report if you need it.

Why the scheme was created

The Stand-Up India portal explains that the scheme was unveiled with “Start-Up India” in the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address of 15 August 2015. It was launched to coincide with the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B. R. Ambedkar. The idea was to use the existing banking network to reach groups that find it hard to get business credit. These are SC, ST and women entrepreneurs, who often lack collateral, a credit history or a banker who knows them.

The Ministry of Finance’s 2022 note on the scheme puts it this way. Stand-Up India recognises the challenges these entrepreneurs face in setting up enterprises, obtaining loans and getting support. It tries to build an ecosystem that keeps supporting them while they run the business.

Who runs what

Body	Role
Department of Financial Services	Owns the scheme
Scheduled Commercial Bank branches	Appraise and sanction loans
SIDBI	Runs the standupmitra.in portal; connect centre
NABARD	Connect centre; trains bankers and LDMs
NCGTC	Runs the credit guarantee (CGSSI)
Lead District Manager (LDM)	Monitors cases in each district
District Level Credit Committee	Takes up cases every quarter

Sources: scheme guidelines on standupmitra.in; scheme FAQs.

The scheme applies across all branches of Scheduled Commercial Banks. The bankers’ FAQ on the portal names public sector, private sector, foreign and regional rural banks.

Timeline

Date	What happened
15 Aug 2015	Announced with Start-Up India
5 Apr 2016	Scheme launched
Feb 2021	Margin money cut to 15%; agri-allied added
1 Feb 2025	Budget 2025-26 announces a new scheme for first-time founders
31 Mar 2025	Scheme period ends
11 Nov 2026	Cabinet approves continuation to 31 Mar 2031

Sources: DFS; PIB 2022 backgrounder; Budget speech 2025-26; PIB, 11 November 2026.

The 2021-22 changes

Two changes followed the Union Budget for 2021-22, and both still shape the scheme:

Lower margin money. The margin the borrower must arrange was cut from “up to 25%” to “up to 15%” of project cost. The borrower still has to contribute at least 10% of the project cost from their own funds.
Agri-allied activities added. Activities such as fish farming, beekeeping, poultry, livestock rearing, grading, sorting, aggregation, agro-industries, dairy, fisheries, agri-clinics and agri-business centres, and food and agro-processing became eligible, along with services supporting them. Crop loans and land improvement such as canals, irrigation and wells stay excluded.

What changed in November 2026

The scheme period that ran from 2016 ended on 31 March 2025. The Department of Financial Services stated this on its scheme page, and the Ministry of Finance said in Parliament in July 2026 that the scheme was operational till March 2025.

On 11 November 2026 the Union Cabinet approved the continuation of Stand-Up India for five years up to 31 March 2031. The approval:

aims to reach at least 2.5 lakh additional entrepreneurs in five years
approves a credit guarantee corpus of ₹4,111 crore
allows the loan to be either composite (working capital plus term loan) or a term loan alone, for amounts above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹1 crore, covering up to 85% of the project cost
sets credit guarantee cover at 85% of the loan amount, with a standard guarantee fee of 0.50%
keeps the sectors as manufacturing, services, trading and agri-allied activities

The release does not give a date from which banks restart sanctions. Ask your branch before you apply.

Progress in numbers

Each figure is shown with the date it refers to.

Measure	Figure	As on
Accounts sanctioned	2.67 lakh	28 Feb 2025
Amount sanctioned	₹60,504 crore	28 Feb 2025
Amount disbursed	₹34,450 crore	28 Feb 2025
Women accounts	1.99 lakh	28 Feb 2025
Total sanctioned	₹61,020.41 crore	17 Mar 2025
Entrepreneurs reached	More than 2.75 lakh	Nov 2026

Sources: DFS; PIB factsheet, 5 April 2025; PIB, 11 November 2026.

The PIB factsheet of April 2025 also tracks growth by group. Between November 2018 and November 2024, SC accounts grew from 9,399 to 46,248, ST accounts from 2,841 to 15,228, and women’s accounts from 55,644 to 1,90,844. Women entrepreneurs make up the large majority of borrowers.

Stand-Up India is not Start-Up India

The names are similar and the two were announced together, but they are different schemes.

Point	Stand-Up India	Start-Up India
Who	Women, SC, ST founders	Any eligible startup entity
What	Bank loan for a new unit	Recognition and support for innovative firms
Business type	Any greenfield unit in eligible sectors	Innovation or technology-led, scalable
Delivered by	Bank branches	DPIIT-recognised framework

Source: Stand-Up India FAQs.

A beauty parlour, a dairy unit, a garment workshop or a wholesale shop can be a Stand-Up India project. None of them needs to be innovative or technology-led.

How the scheme reaches people

The scheme was designed to run through the existing bank network rather than a new office. The portal’s About page says it was set up to benefit at least 2.5 lakh borrowers through about 1.25 lakh bank branches. The continuation approved in 2026 sets a fresh target of 2.5 lakh more entrepreneurs over five years.

What this means for you

If you are a woman, SC or ST entrepreneur planning your first business, and you need more than ₹10 lakh and up to ₹1 crore, Stand-Up India is the scheme to check. Start with the eligibility checker, then read how to apply. If your loan need is smaller, compare Mudra and PMEGP.

FAQ

When was Stand-Up India launched? On 5 April 2016.

What is the objective of Stand-Up India? To get bank loans above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹1 crore to at least one SC or ST borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch, for a new enterprise.

Has Stand-Up India been extended? Yes. On 11 November 2026 the Union Cabinet approved its continuation up to 31 March 2031.

Is Stand-Up India a subsidy? No. It is a bank loan that you repay with interest. You can combine it with subsidies from other schemes to meet the margin money.

Is Stand-Up India the same as Start-Up India? No. Stand-Up India is a bank loan scheme for women, SC and ST founders. Start-Up India supports innovative, technology-led startups of any founder category.

Which ministry runs Stand-Up India? The Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance. SIDBI runs the portal and NCGTC runs the guarantee.

Is Stand-Up India being replaced by the ₹2 crore scheme? The Budget 2025-26 announced a separate new scheme for first-time women, SC and ST entrepreneurs. Stand-Up India itself has now been continued to 2031. See the first-time entrepreneurs scheme for what is confirmed.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.