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Check the status before you plan. The Stand-Up India scheme period ran to 31 March 2025. On 16 March 2026 the Finance Minister told the Lok Sabha that the scheme came to an end in March last year and is being redrafted to give more benefits, with no launch date announced for the new version. Many websites, including some marked as 2026 guides, still tell readers to apply on the portal as if nothing has changed. Before you spend time on an application, ask your bank branch what they are sanctioning under today.
Why this matters more than the scheme details
A rural applicant who reads an out-of-date page can lose an entire season. You prepare a project report, get a caste certificate or other documents together, visit a branch three times, and then learn the scheme window is not open in the form the website described.
So this article does two things. It sets out how the scheme worked, because the revamped version will be built on the same structure and you should understand it. And it tells you what to do in the meantime.
How Stand-Up India worked
The scheme was for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe borrowers and for women entrepreneurs, above 18 years of age. Where the borrower was a company or firm rather than an individual, at least 51 per cent of the shareholding and the controlling stake had to be with the eligible category.
The loan was between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore. It was a composite loan, which means a single sanction covering both the term loan and the working capital requirement, rather than two separate facilities.
Only greenfield projects qualified. Greenfield means the borrower's first venture in that line of business. The official wording covered manufacturing, services, trading and activities allied to agriculture.
Margin money was up to 15 per cent of project cost, of which the borrower had to bring at least 10 per cent from their own resources. The remaining part could come through convergence with a central or state scheme. The bank funded up to 85 per cent.
Repayment ran up to seven years, including a moratorium of up to 18 months. The moratorium sat inside the seven years, not on top of it. Interest was capped at the bank's base rate or MCLR plus 3 per cent plus tenor premium.
Security was primary security plus either collateral or cover under the credit guarantee scheme for Stand-Up India, operated by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company. That guarantee is what made collateral-free lending possible in this band.
Working capital up to Rs 10 lakh could be given as an overdraft with a RuPay debit card. Above Rs 10 lakh it was a cash credit limit.
Agriculture-allied activities were eligible
This is worth stating clearly because a well-ranking page gets it wrong and says the scheme covered only manufacturing, services and trading.
The official portal wording included agri-allied activities. The government's own FAQ listed examples: pisciculture, bee keeping, poultry, livestock, rearing, grading, sorting, aggregation agro industries, dairy, fishery, agri-clinic and agri-business centres, and food and agro-processing. Agri-allied was added by an amendment, which is why the earliest scheme documents do not mention it.
So a dairy unit, a fish farm, a grading and sorting centre or a small food processing plant were all inside the scheme. That matters for what the revamped version is likely to cover.
The Rs 10 lakh floor was the real barrier
Most first-time rural ventures need between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 8 lakh. Stand-Up India started at Rs 10 lakh. So for a large share of the people who searched for it, the scheme was never the right instrument, and no page told them that.
If your requirement is below Rs 10 lakh, you were never in this scheme's range, and you should look at Mudra or PMEGP instead.
There is a second reality worth knowing. Between April 2022 and March 2025, banks sanctioned 1,26,508 accounts under the scheme across the whole country. Spread across every scheduled commercial bank branch in India, that is a very small number per branch per year. A branch manager who has never processed one is not being obstructive. They genuinely may not have done one.
What the scheme achieved
Since launch in April 2016 up to 17 March 2025, Rs 61,020 crore was sanctioned.
Broken down by category as at November 2024: 46,248 accounts worth Rs 9,747 crore to SC entrepreneurs, 15,228 accounts worth Rs 3,244 crore to ST entrepreneurs, and 1,90,844 accounts worth Rs 43,984 crore to women entrepreneurs.
Women made up roughly three quarters of accounts in the April 2022 to March 2025 window. You will see an older figure of 81 per cent quoted widely. That is from 2021 and is no longer current.
What is coming
Budget 2025-26 announced a scheme for 5 lakh women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe first-time entrepreneurs, with term loans up to Rs 2 crore over five years, drawing on lessons from Stand-Up India, along with online capacity building.
In March 2026 the Finance Minister said the scheme is being redrafted following studies, and that a proposal would go to Cabinet. As of now no launch date, no name and no operational guidelines have been notified.
That means two things for you. The Rs 2 crore figure from the Budget announcement is not yet an operative loan limit you can apply against. And the redraft is likely to keep the same core shape, so preparing the same documents is not wasted work.
What to do now
Ask at the branch first. Take ten minutes and ask your nearest bank branch, or the Lead District Manager, what is currently being sanctioned for a first-time SC, ST or woman entrepreneur in your district. Branch-level practice is the only reliable answer while a scheme is between versions.
Use the waiting time on the file, not on the form. Whatever version launches, a bank will want a project report with real numbers, quotations for the machinery you intend to buy, and a named buyer or market for what you will sell. Those take weeks to put together properly and they carry across schemes.
Look at the alternatives that are open. For a new unit with a capital subsidy, PMEGP is running, and the eligibility for agri businesses is set out in PMEGP loan for agriculture-based businesses. For a loan without collateral where your unit qualifies as a micro or small enterprise, see CGTMSE loan for agri MSMEs. For requirements below Rs 10 lakh, Mudra is the practical route. For women applying through a group rather than alone, SHG loan for women farmers explains how group credit works.
Keep your documents current. Caste certificates, Udyam registration and bank statements all age. If the new scheme opens with a rush, the applicants who move first will be those whose paperwork is already valid.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Stand-Up India scheme still available in 2026?
The scheme period ran to 31 March 2025. On 16 March 2026 the Finance Minister said in the Lok Sabha that it ended in March last year and is being redrafted to give more benefits. No launch date has been announced for the revamped version. Confirm the current position with your bank branch before applying.
What was the maximum loan amount?
Rs 1 crore, with a minimum of Rs 10 lakh. It was a composite loan covering the term loan and working capital together.
Who was eligible?
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe borrowers, and women entrepreneurs, above 18 years of age, setting up a first venture. For a company or firm, at least 51 per cent shareholding and the controlling stake had to be with the eligible category.
Could a dairy or poultry unit get a Stand-Up India loan?
Yes. Agri-allied activities were covered, and the government's FAQ named dairy, poultry, fishery, bee keeping, grading and sorting units, agri-clinics and food and agro-processing among eligible activities.
Was collateral required?
Not necessarily. The bank took primary security plus either collateral or cover under the credit guarantee scheme for Stand-Up India, operated by NCGTC. The guarantee is what allowed collateral-free lending in this band.
What is a greenfield enterprise?
The borrower's first venture in that line of business. Someone already running the same activity was not eligible for a first loan under this scheme.
How much margin money did the borrower have to bring?
Up to 15 per cent margin, of which at least 10 per cent had to be the borrower's own contribution. The balance up to 5 per cent could come through convergence with another central or state scheme. Pages quoting a flat 25 per cent are using the pre-amendment figure.
What is the difference between Stand-Up India and Start-Up India?
Stand-Up India was a bank loan scheme for SC, ST and women entrepreneurs setting up a first business. Start-Up India is a separate programme for recognised startups covering tax benefits, funding support and regulatory easing. The names are similar and the schemes are not related.
What if the bank refuses to accept my application?
Go to the Lead District Manager for your district. The LDM route exists for exactly this situation and is one of the official application channels alongside the branch and the portal.
Is my Rs 5 lakh project eligible?
No. The scheme's floor was Rs 10 lakh. For a smaller requirement, Mudra or PMEGP is the right route.
Sources used
Department of Financial Services, Stand Up India scheme page — https://financialservices.gov.in/stand-india-scheme-supi
Stand-Up India portal, scheme features — https://www.standupmitra.in/Home/SUISchemes
PIB, Stand Up India Scheme FAQ, April 2022 — https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/apr/doc20224535701.pdf
PIB, 9 Years of Stand-Up India factsheet, 5 April 2025 — https://www.pib.gov.in/FactsheetDetails.aspx?Id=149200
PIB, Stand-Up India sanctions April 2022 to March 2025, 22 July 2025 — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2146820®=48&lang=2
PIB, credit access initiatives for women entrepreneurs, 24 March 2025 — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2114502
Finance Minister's statement in the Lok Sabha, 16 March 2026, reported by News on AIR — https://www.newsonair.gov.in/fm-nirmala-sitharaman-announces-revamped-stand-up-india-scheme-for-sc-st-and-women-entrepreneurs
Recommended external anchor links inside the article: "told the Lok Sabha" to the News on AIR report, and "Department of Financial Services" to the DFS scheme page. Nothing else is needed.
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