Mukhyamantri Nahri Kendra: ₹5L Subsidy + 4% Loan for Tribal Women — Frequently Asked Questions

It is a self-employment scheme from the Tribal Development Department, Government of Gujarat, that helps Scheduled Tribe women in the state's tribal areas open and run a Nahri Kendra — a women-run outlet selling traditional tribal dishes and other home-made products. The scheme supplies the capital, partly as a subsidy and partly as a low-interest loan, with the aim of raising the owner's income and living standards.

Project costs of up to ₹10,00,000 can be supported. Of that, 50% — up to a maximum of ₹5,00,000 — comes as a non-repayable subsidy, while the other 50% is given as a loan at 4% per annum. Since the two halves move together, the amount you actually receive depends on the size of your approved project.

Effectively both. Half of the approved project cost is a subsidy that you never repay, capped at ₹5,00,000, and the other half is a loan you repay with interest over five years. You are not required to put in any capital of your own upfront.

The scheme is open to women only. The applicant must belong to the Scheduled Tribe category and must be residing in a tribal area of Gujarat. She must also be engaged in, or willing to establish, a self-employment venture in the form of a Nahri Kendra.

No. The assistance is a grant-and-loan package — a non-repayable subsidy plus a concessional loan. Neither component involves handing over a stake in the venture, so ownership stays entirely with you.

The subsidy is paid in two tranches: 60% first, and the remaining 40% once the project shows satisfactory progress. The loan is repaid over 5 years (60 months) in 20 equal installments that include interest. You may also close the loan early — there is no penalty for doing so.

No. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and the scheme remains open throughout the year, so you can apply whenever your project plan is ready.

Neither is listed among the scheme's conditions. What the scheme asks for is that the applicant is a woman from the Scheduled Tribe category, residing in a tribal area of Gujarat, with a Nahri Kendra venture to establish or run.

Registration on the GTDC portal asks for your full name exactly as it appears on your Aadhaar card, your gender, date of birth, Aadhaar number, mobile number, and a username and password of your choice. After logging in, the detailed application form must be completed and the necessary documents uploaded with it.

Apply online through the Gujarat Tribal Development Corporation website at adijatinigam.gujarat.gov.in. Use the 'APPLY FOR LOAN' link, complete the registration form and sign up, after which a user ID and password are generated for you. Log in with those credentials and the captcha code, and the portal will list the schemes open to your caste category. Select Mukhyamantri Nahri Kendra, fill in the application form, upload the required documents, then use 'Save Application' — which generates your application number — and 'Print Application' to keep a copy for your records. Detailed scheme guidelines are also published as a downloadable PDF on the same site.

Mukhyamantri Nahri Kendra: ₹5L Subsidy + 4% Loan for Tribal Women is offered by Tribal Development Department, Government of Gujarat, a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.