Barbershop Renovation Grant — Up to ₹25,000 for Kerala's Traditional Barbers — Frequently Asked Questions

The scheme provides up to ₹25,000 per beneficiary. The amount is calculated as 50% of your project cost, so the ₹25,000 ceiling is reached only when the modernisation project is large enough for half of it to hit that figure. If your project costs ₹10,000 or less, the eligible assistance works out to a maximum of ₹5,000.

You must be a permanent resident of Kerala and belong to the State Other Backward Communities. You also need to be a traditional barber who is currently engaged in the profession, with at least ten years of work experience. The barbershop itself has to be in a rural area. On the personal and financial side, your family's annual income from all sources cannot exceed ₹1,00,000, and you must not be older than 60 years.

No fixed closing date is published for this scheme — it runs on a rolling basis, with applications invited through the concerned Local Self Government. Since the intake depends on when your local body invites applications, it is worth checking with your Grama Panchayat and submitting as soon as the window opens.

It is a grant. No equity stake is taken in your business and nothing has to be repaid — you receive the assistance, complete the agreed renovation work and continue running your shop. The only formal commitment is an agreement executed with the government on stamp paper of face value ₹100.

No. The barbershop must be located in a rural area, and applications are routed through the Grama Panchayat, which is the rural local body. Shops in urban areas fall outside the scope of this scheme.

It depends on your project cost. If the total modernisation cost is ₹10,000 or less, the eligible assistance — up to ₹5,000 — is released as a single instalment. If the cost is above ₹10,000, the grant comes in two instalments: 60% of the eligible assistance first, and the remaining 40% after you complete the work and an authorised department officer verifies and certifies it.

The assistance is meant for modernising and renovating your existing barbershop. In practice that covers purchasing instruments and furniture, buying germ killers and sterilising equipment, procuring disposable towels, and carrying out improvements that raise the hygiene and sanitation standards of the premises.

Assessment starts at the Grama Panchayat, which scrutinises the applications and prepares a seniority list using allocated marks. Marks are given for BPL family status, the number of daughters, a barbershop seating capacity of under three seats, differently-abled status, and the length of work experience. The applications then go forward with LSGD recommendations to the Regional Deputy Directors of the BCDD for the final selection. If applicants tie on marks, the one with the lower annual family income is preferred.

You submit a completely filled application form along with all relevant documents to your Grama Panchayat when applications are invited. If you are selected, you then submit the relevant documents to the Regional Deputy Director of the Backward Communities Development Department and execute an agreement with the government on ₹100 stamp paper, after which the first instalment is paid.

Yes. Once you receive the first instalment, the work has to be completed within one month and must follow the project report you submitted. The final instalment is paid only after the work is successfully completed and verified and certified by the authorised department officer.

No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for Barbershop Renovation Grant — Up to ₹25,000 for Kerala's Traditional Barbers, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.

Barbershop Renovation Grant — Up to ₹25,000 for Kerala's Traditional Barbers is offered by Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala, a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.

Apply directly through the official application link on this page. Review the eligibility criteria and prepare your startup documents before you begin.