The emphasis of India on inclusive growth has resulted in a number of some specific initiatives to empower the underrepresented communities through education, skill development and entrepreneurship. The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has initiated one such initiative, which is the so-called Samriddhi – Scheme for Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe Students to Start-Ups.
The scheme aims at developing entrepreneurial capability to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students through organized institutional guidance and initial fund to empower them to convert innovative ideas into viable start-ups.
Overview of the Samriddhi Scheme
The Samriddhi plan is expected to motivate the SC/ST students to plan, start and run their own start-ups either in their final year of study or once they have completed formal education. Rather than getting funds straight to people, AICTE uses institutes that are eligible to receive the funds which in turn identify and provide funding to potential student start-ups.
In this programme, institutions that have been selected serve as Samriddhi Programme Centres and they are supposed to perform mentoring, selection, monitoring and financial disbursement to student entrepreneurs.
Key Objectives of the Scheme
- To promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST students in technical and professional institutions
- To provide early-stage seed funding for innovative student start-ups
- To strengthen incubation centres within AICTE-approved institutions
- To bridge the gap between education and enterprise creation
- To support inclusive and sustainable economic development
Benefits and Financial Assistance
The Samriddhi scheme has been a well-designed model of funding that is advantageous to the institutions as well as the student entrepreneurs.
Financial Support Structure
- Total funding: ₹20,00,000 (limited one-time financial assistance)
- Funding recipient: Eligible AICTE-approved institute
- Number of start-ups supported: 9 SC/ST student start-ups per institute
Allocation of Funds
- Seed money per start-up: ₹2,00,000 (non-refundable)
- Total seed funding: ₹18,00,000 for 9 start-ups
- Selection and administrative expenses: ₹2,00,000
- Recurring grant: ₹1,00,000 per year for two consecutive years
Key Funding Highlights
- Seed funding is provided to passed-out or current students of the same institute
- 100% of non-recurring funds are released at the time of award
- Recurring grants are released annually over a two-year period
- Funds are strictly utilised as per AICTE guidelines
Duration of the Scheme
- Total duration: 2 years
- Non-recurring funds are released upfront
- Recurring grants are released annually for Year 1 and Year 2
Conditions and Institutional Responsibilities
In order to make the implementation effective, the following conditions should be observed by participating institutions:
- Establish a dedicated committee to select nine registered SC/ST student start-ups
- Appoint a Principal Coordinator (dedicated faculty member)
- Provide adequate support staff for smooth programme execution
- Develop and implement a structured feedback mechanism
- Collect feedback after each programme from beneficiaries
- Update curriculum or programme design if required based on feedback
Exclusions from the Scheme
- Samriddhi benefits are not provided to student start-ups who are already under the financial support of any other AICTE scheme or Government of India scheme.
Eligibility Criteria
Institutional Eligibility
The applicant institution must meet all of the following requirements:
- AICTE-approved institute or AICTE-approved University Department
- Minimum 10 years of institutional existence
- Availability of a well-functioning incubation centre
- Incubation centre operational for at least 5 years
- Minimum average enrolment of 50 SC/ST students over the last 3 years
- Compliance with Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) and Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) guidelines of the Government of India
Student Eligibility (Selected by the Institute)
- Must belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe category
- Must be in the final year of a degree or diploma programme or recently passed out
- Must have a registered company or start-up in their own name
Application Process (Online)
The applications are made online in the AICTE Quality Improvement Schemes (AQIS) Portal.
Step 1: Login to AICTE Portal
- Institutions log in using existing AICTE credentials
- Navigate to the AQIS Application section
Step 2: Institute Details Verification
- Basic institute details are auto-filled and non-editable
- Editable fields include district, government grant percentage, PAN details, Extension of Approval reference number and official email ID
Step 3: Bank Details Submission
- Enter bank name, branch, account number, IFSC, MICR, bank code and pin code
- Save and confirm bank details to activate the application process
Step 4: Create New AQIS Application
- Click on “New” to generate a unique AQIS Application ID
- Select “SAMRIDDHI – Programme Centre for SC/ST Students” from the scheme list
Step 5: Principal Investigator (PI) Details
- Select faculty member as Principal Investigator
- Auto-filled faculty details are verified
- Enter proposal-specific information such as abstract, objectives and expected outcomes
- Aadhaar and PAN details of the PI are mandatory
Step 6: Complete Mandatory Tabs
- AQIS Application Details
- Budget Estimates – Non-Recurring Samriddhi
- Academic Credentials of Coordinator
- Justification of Project
- Credentials of Institution
- Budget Recurring
Step 7: Enter Startup and Budget Details
- Add details of proposed student start-ups
- Provide student name, qualification, contact details, project description and estimated cost
Step 8: Validation and Final Submission
- Click “Validate Application”
- Address any system-generated errors
- Successful validation confirms readiness for submission
Documents Required
Institutional Documents
- Proof of AICTE approval
- Proof of minimum 10 years of existence
- Incubation centre establishment and activity records (minimum 5 years)
- SC/ST student enrolment records (last 3 years)
- Compliance documents for TSP and SCSP
- Extension of Approval letter for the current year
Financial and Identity Documents
- Institute PAN details
- Government grant percentage details
- Official email ID
- Complete bank details
Principal Investigator Documents
- Faculty ID
- PAN and Aadhaar details
- Proposal abstract, objectives and expected outcomes
- Academic credentials including qualifications, experience and publications
Student / Start-up Documents
- Proof of final year enrolment or course completion
- Proof of registered start-up or company
- Detailed non-recurring budget estimates
Frequently Asked Questions
𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲?
No. Start-ups that are already sponsored by AICTE schemes or Government of India are not eligible.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞?
Every chosen institution will have to assist nine SC/ST student start-ups.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲?
The institution should be at least 10 years old.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞?
Limited one-time financial help may be of ₹20,000,000 to an institute.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐮𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞?
All the selected start-ups are given non-refundable seed funding of ₹200,000 INR.
𝐈𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?
Yes. It should also be an institution that has an incubation centre that should be in operation at least 5 years.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝?
A hundred percent of non-recurring funds are disbursed during award.
𝐃𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
Yes. The student should already have a registered start-up under his or her name.
