Central and Gujarat state schemes for women's enterprise and livelihoods. Amounts and eligibility change — confirm on the official link before you build an application around any figure here.
CentralPradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)
Collateral-free loans for non-farm micro and small enterprises in four categories: Shishu (up to Rs 50,000), Kishor (Rs 50,001 to Rs 5 lakh), Tarun (Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh) and Tarun Plus (above Rs 10 lakh and up to Rs 20 lakh, introduced from the 2024-25 Budget). All PMMY loans up to Rs 20 lakh are covered by the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU).
Who qualifies: Any Indian individual or micro/small enterprise in non-corporate, non-farm income-generating activity (manufacturing, trading, services and allied agriculture). Tarun Plus is only for entrepreneurs who have already taken and fully repaid a Tarun-category loan.
How to apply: Apply at any commercial bank, regional rural bank, small finance bank, MFI or NBFC branch, or online through the Jan Samarth / Udyamimitra portal. MUDRA itself does not lend directly and has no agents or middlemen.
Not a women-only scheme, though women borrowers are a large share of it. The Shishu/Kishor/Tarun slab amounts are long-standing scheme parameters; the Rs 20 lakh Tarun Plus tier was announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 and notified in October 2024 (PIB PRID 2068019). Interest rates are set by the lending institution, not by MUDRA.
official source
CentralStand-Up India
A composite loan (term loan plus working capital) of between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore from a scheduled commercial bank branch for a new (greenfield) enterprise. Margin money requirement is 15 per cent, which may be met in convergence with eligible central or state schemes, but the borrower must bring at least 10 per cent of the project cost. Repayment up to 7 years with a moratorium of up to 18 months.
Who qualifies: Women entrepreneurs and SC/ST entrepreneurs aged 18 and above, setting up a first-time (greenfield) venture in manufacturing, services, trading or agri-allied activity. For a non-individual enterprise, at least 51 per cent of shareholding and controlling stake must be held by a woman or an SC/ST entrepreneur. Applicant must not be a defaulter to any bank or financial institution.
How to apply: Through any branch of a scheduled commercial bank, or via the Stand-Up Mitra portal (www.standupmitra.in), which also connects applicants to handholding agencies.
Greenfield only - an existing business cannot be refinanced under this scheme. Interest is charged at the bank's lowest applicable rate for the category, capped at MCLR + 3% + tenor premium.
official source
CentralPrime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
A bank loan with a back-ended margin money (capital) subsidy. Maximum project cost is Rs 50 lakh for manufacturing and Rs 20 lakh for service units. Women are a 'special category' beneficiary, so the subsidy is 35 per cent of project cost in rural areas and 25 per cent in urban areas, against 25 per cent and 15 per cent for general-category applicants. Beneficiaries also get a free two-day Entrepreneurship Development Programme.
Who qualifies: Individuals above 18 years setting up a new micro-enterprise; for projects above Rs 10 lakh (manufacturing) or Rs 5 lakh (service), at least Class VIII pass. Women qualify under the special category along with SC/ST/OBC, minorities, ex-servicemen, transgender and differently-abled applicants.
How to apply: Online on the KVIC PMEGP e-portal (www.kviconline.gov.in/pmegpeportal), routed through KVIC, the State Khadi and Village Industries Board or the District Industries Centre. In Gujarat, applications are processed through the district KVIB/DIC offices.
Only for new units - existing units and units already assisted under other government subsidy schemes are not eligible. Subsidy is back-ended and held in a lock-in deposit for three years. Own contribution is required on top of the loan.
official source
CentralPM Vishwakarma
Recognition as an artisan (certificate and ID), basic skill training of 5-7 days and optional advanced training of 15 days or more with a stipend of Rs 500 per day, a toolkit incentive of up to Rs 15,000 as an e-voucher, and collateral-free enterprise credit of up to Rs 3 lakh in two tranches (Rs 1 lakh after basic training, repayable in 18 months, and Rs 2 lakh thereafter, repayable in 30 months) at a concessional 5 per cent interest rate with an 8 per cent government interest subvention. Digital transaction incentive of Re 1 per transaction for up to 100 transactions a month.
Who qualifies: Artisans and craftspeople aged 18 and above working with their hands and tools on a self-employment basis in one of 18 notified traditional trades. Only one member per family. Applicants who have taken a loan under PMEGP, PM SVANidhi or MUDRA in the past five years are excluded.
How to apply: Registration through a Common Service Centre (CSC) on the PM Vishwakarma portal, followed by a three-stage verification by the gram panchayat/urban local body, the district implementation committee and the screening committee.
Restricted to the 18 listed trades (e.g. tailor, potter, basket/mat/broom maker, doll and toy maker, blacksmith, goldsmith, cobbler), so many women's businesses fall outside it. Scheme runs from 2023-24 to 2030-31 with an outlay of Rs 13,000 crore. Family means husband, wife and unmarried children.
official source
CentralDAY-NRLM (Aajeevika) self-help group support, including the Lakhpati Didi initiative
Capitalisation and credit support to women's self-help groups: a Revolving Fund of roughly Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per SHG for internal lending, a Community Investment Fund of up to Rs 2.50 lakh per SHG routed through cluster-level federations, a Vulnerability Reduction Fund of Rs 1,50,000 per village organisation, collateral-free bank loans of up to Rs 20 lakh per SHG, and interest subvention bringing the effective rate down to 7 per cent on loans up to Rs 3 lakh. Individual SHG members running enterprises can get credit guarantee support up to Rs 5 lakh and interest subvention on loans up to Rs 1.5 lakh for up to three years.
Who qualifies: Rural women who are members of a DAY-NRLM self-help group. 'Lakhpati Didi' is the target status of an SHG member whose household earns Rs 1 lakh or more a year, averaged over at least four agricultural seasons or business cycles.
How to apply: Join or form an SHG through the block-level DAY-NRLM machinery. In Gujarat the mission is implemented by the Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company (GLPC) through Sakhi Mandals; approach the village organisation, cluster-level federation or block office.
This is SHG-based, not an individual loan window - a woman has to be part of a functioning SHG, and fund releases depend on the group's grading and track record. Rural focus; the urban counterpart is DAY-NULM. Ministry of Rural Development.
official source
CentralCredit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE)
A guarantee cover that lets banks lend to micro and small enterprises without collateral or third-party guarantee. Guarantee coverage for women-owned micro and small enterprises was raised from 85 per cent to 90 per cent by the CGTMSE board in September 2024, and the guarantee ceiling per borrower has been raised from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore.
Who qualifies: Micro and small enterprises (including women-owned MSEs) borrowing from a CGTMSE member lending institution. The woman-specific enhanced cover applies to women-owned micro and small enterprises.
How to apply: You do not apply to CGTMSE directly. Ask the lending bank or NBFC to route the credit facility under CGTMSE when you apply for a collateral-free MSE loan; the lender lodges the guarantee.
It is a guarantee, not a subsidy - the borrower still repays the loan in full and pays an annual guarantee fee, which the lender usually passes on. The Ministry of MSME said around 2.7 million women-led MSMEs were expected to benefit from the 90 per cent cover. Check the current circular on cgtmse.in for the fee structure applicable to your loan size.
official source
CentralMahila Samman Savings Certificate (MSSC), 2023
A two-year small savings deposit exclusively for women and girls: minimum Rs 1,000 and maximum Rs 2 lakh across all accounts, at a fixed 7.5 per cent per annum compounded quarterly, with partial withdrawal of up to 40 per cent of the balance permitted after one year.
Who qualifies: Any woman for herself, or a guardian on behalf of a minor girl. A three-month gap is required between opening one account and the next, within the overall Rs 2 lakh cap.
How to apply: Accounts were opened at post offices and at authorised public and private sector banks.
IMPORTANT - this scheme is CLOSED to new deposits. The Government of India discontinued the opening of new MSSC accounts after 31 March 2025; only accounts opened on or before that date continue to run to maturity. It is listed here because it is still widely quoted in women's scheme lists, but a Gujarat woman cannot open one today. It is also a savings instrument, not enterprise finance.
official source
Gujarat stateShri Vajpayee Bankable Yojana (SVBY)
Bank finance with a state capital subsidy for setting up a cottage industry, service or business unit. Maximum bank finance is Rs 25 lakh each for the industry, service and business sectors. Subsidy is 25 per cent (rural) / 20 per cent (urban) for general applicants and 40 per cent (rural) / 30 per cent (urban) for women, SC/ST, ex-servicemen and persons with 40 per cent or more disability, subject to a maximum subsidy of Rs 3,75,000 per beneficiary.
Who qualifies: Gujarat residents aged 18 to 65 who have passed at least standard 4, or hold a training certificate (3 months private / 1 month from a government-recognised institute), or have at least one year of relevant work experience, or are hereditary craftspersons. There is no income ceiling.
How to apply: Apply through the Commissioner of Cottage and Rural Industries, Gujarat, via the district Cottage Industries/DIC office and the e-Kutir portal; the loan is sanctioned by a nationalised, cooperative, public or private sector bank and the subsidy is routed through the department.
Loan limits and subsidy caps have been revised more than once (older public write-ups still quote a Rs 8 lakh ceiling), so confirm the current figures with the district office. Details here are as published by the State Level Bankers' Committee, Gujarat.
official source
Gujarat stateMission Mangalam / Sakhi Mandal Yojana (Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company)
Formation and strengthening of women's self-help groups (Sakhi Mandals) with bank linkage, financial literacy and skills training funded by the state, and market linkage to industry. GLPC reports roughly Rs 5-10 lakh of low-interest bank credit per SHG and about 2 lakh SHGs with 25 lakh women members handling around Rs 1,000 crore through bank linkage.
Who qualifies: Rural and poor women in Gujarat who join or form a Sakhi Mandal (SHG) under GLPC. GLPC is also the state implementing agency for DAY-NRLM.
How to apply: Through the village-level Sakhi Mandal, cluster-level federation or the district/block GLPC office; GLPC also runs the GMAITRI portal.
Announced in 2010 during Gujarat's golden jubilee year; it is an umbrella convergence programme rather than a single application form, so the actual credit comes through banks against the SHG's grading. The SHG membership figures quoted are GLPC's own, undated on the page.
official source
Gujarat stateMukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana (MMUY)
An interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh to each group of 10 women organised as a Joint Liability and Earning Group (JLEG), with the state government bearing the interest cost and stamp duty waived.
Who qualifies: Women in Gujarat organised into a 10-member JLEG, in both rural and urban areas.
How to apply: Through the MMUY portal and the implementing agencies - the Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company for rural areas and the Gujarat Urban Livelihood Mission for urban areas - with the loan disbursed by nationalised banks, cooperative banks and RBI-approved financial institutions.
Launched on 17 September 2020 with a target of 1 lakh groups covering about 10 lakh women (50,000 rural and 50,000 urban groups). The official MMUY portal could not be read directly during this research (robots restriction), so figures here come from press reporting of the launch - confirm current availability, group formation rules and amounts with GLPC/GULM or the district office before advising anyone to apply.
official source
Gujarat stateAatmanirbhar Gujarat Scheme for Assistance to MSMEs (Gujarat Industrial Policy 2022)
Interest subsidy on term loans for MSMEs: 7 per cent up to Rs 35 lakh a year for 7 years in Category 1 talukas, 6 per cent up to Rs 30 lakh a year for 6 years in Category 2, and 5 per cent up to Rs 25 lakh a year for 5 years in Category 3. Women entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector get an additional 1 per cent interest subsidy (as do differently-abled entrepreneurs, registered startups, and entrepreneurs below 35).
Who qualifies: MSMEs setting up or expanding in Gujarat; the additional 1 per cent applies to enterprises owned by women entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector.
How to apply: Through the Industries Commissionerate, Government of Gujarat, on ic.gujarat.gov.in / the MSME Commissionerate portal, after the term loan is sanctioned by a bank or financial institution.
The enterprise must itself bear a minimum 2 per cent of the interest charged on the term loan. Benefits are linked to the taluka category where the unit is located, so the rate depends on district. Figures here are from the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2022 brochure published by Invest India.
official source
Gujarat stateMahila Swavalamban Yojana (Gujarat Women Economic Development Corporation)
Sponsorship of a woman's loan application to a bank with a recommendation from GWEDC, plus a subsidy on the sanctioned loan. GWEDC commits to forwarding the application to the bank within 45 days and to settling subsidy claims up to Rs 10,000 within 20 days.
Who qualifies: Women in Gujarat seeking to start or expand a small income-generating activity. Documents required include age proof, a training or experience certificate, machinery/raw material quotations, ration card, electricity bill, annual income certificate, and caste or disability certificate where applicable.
How to apply: Obtain the loan form from the district field officer of the Gujarat Women Economic Development Corporation and submit it with the supporting documents; GWEDC (established 1981) is under the Women and Child Development Department, Government of Gujarat.
The exact loan ceiling and subsidy percentage are not stated on the GWEDC citizen charter page and are quoted inconsistently on unofficial Gujarati scheme blogs, so they are deliberately not reproduced here - confirm current amounts and income limits with the district GWEDC field officer (GWEDC, Gandhinagar, 079-232-27287, gwedcgnr@gmail.com).
official source
