Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme — ₹2.5L for Karnataka Women's Leather SHGs

The Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme is a Karnataka government programme that puts working capital behind women who earn their living from leatherwork. It is delivered by the Karnataka State Leather Industries Development Corporation, better known as LIDKAR, and routed through the Social Welfare Department. Its unit of support is not a single founder but a group.

A Self-Help Group of 10 women artisans receives ₹2,50,000 in combined assistance. Members may use it to set up a fresh leather-based venture or to grow one they already run. The package is deliberately structured in two parts — a subsidy and a loan — so that repayment pressure stays low while the group still gets usable capital.

The design leans on collective strength: the group applies and is assessed together, yet each woman carries her own share of the benefit. The scheme targets artisans from notified Scheduled Caste sub-castes and aims at sustainable household income and self-employment within Karnataka's traditional leather sector. There is no closing date — applications are accepted round the year.

• Up to ₹2,50,000 per Self-Help Group of 10 women artisans
• ₹15,000 subsidy plus ₹10,000 loan for every member
• Open only to leather-industry SHGs in Karnataka
• Reserved for notified Scheduled Caste sub-castes, with income ceilings of ₹30,000 rural and ₹25,000 urban
• Rolling applications — no fixed last date
• No equity taken: the support is a subsidy plus a LIDKAR loan

Who can apply: Self-Help Groups working in the leather trade, where the group is made up of at least 10 women artisans.

• Every applicant must be 18 years of age or older.
• Members must belong to the Scheduled Caste sub-castes notified under the scheme — Arundathiyar, Chammadiya, Chamar, Madar and Mochi.
• Annual family income must stay within ₹30,000 in rural areas and ₹25,000 in urban areas.
• Neither the applicant nor her family should have received benefits from another government scheme before; training programmes are the only exception.
• No family member should be working in a government or semi-government job.

Support is tied to leather-related activity and to a group structure — a woman applying on her own, outside an SHG, does not fit the scheme's requirements.

Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme — ₹2.5L for Karnataka Women's Leather SHGs is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme — ₹2.5L for Karnataka Women's Leather SHGs accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

A Self-Help Group of 10 women receives ₹2,50,000 in total support from LIDKAR. The amount works out member by member:

• ₹15,000 subsidy per member — ₹1,50,000 across the full group. This is direct assistance and does not have to be paid back.
• ₹10,000 loan per member — ₹1,00,000 across the group, extended by the Karnataka State Leather Industries Development Corporation Limited.

The split matters. A large part of the package arrives as non-repayable subsidy, which keeps borrowing small and repayments light, while the loan portion supplies working capital.

• The money can fund a new leather-related business or the expansion of an existing one.
• The purpose is to build self-employment and financial independence for women artisans.

Since the support comes as a government subsidy plus a loan, the scheme takes no equity and no ownership stake in the business.

Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme — ₹2.5L for Karnataka Women's Leather SHGs is offered by Karnataka State Leather Industries Development Corporation (LIDKAR), a government body. As a government-backed subsidy, it is publicly funded and open to eligible startups across India.

Every application moves through the Seva Sindhu Portal and is handled by the Social Welfare Department together with LIDKAR.

Stage 1 — Eligibility screening. Officials first verify that the group meets the scheme's conditions: caste certificates, family income measured against the rural or urban ceiling, and the make-up of the Self-Help Group, which must have at least 10 women artisans.

Stage 2 — Business evaluation. Groups that clear screening may move on to a detailed assessment of the leatherwork activity they have proposed.

Stage 3 — Selection committee review. A committee weighs the viability of each proposal and the impact it is likely to create, testing it against the scheme's objective of building self-reliance and financial independence among women artisans.

Before you apply to Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme — ₹2.5L for Karnataka Women's Leather SHGs, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

Kayaka Spoorthi Scheme — ₹2.5L for Karnataka Women's Leather SHGs is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹2.5L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.