Padhuke Kuteera Scheme — Free ₹1.25L Steel Kiosk & Tool Kit for Cobblers — Frequently Asked Questions

The assistance is valued at up to ₹1.3 lakh. It consists of a steel Paduke Kuteera kiosk valued at ₹1,25,000, which includes a signage board display arrangement, plus a complete tool kit. Both items are given free of cost, and the beneficiary receives them in kind rather than as a cash payment.

It is open to leather artisans, including self-employed roadside cobblers who do footwear repair or produce leather goods. An applicant must be a member of one of the specified Scheduled Castes covered by the scheme, be at least 18 years old, and belong to a family whose annual income does not exceed ₹30,000 in rural areas or ₹25,000 in urban areas.

No. The scheme runs on a rolling basis, which means applications are accepted continuously rather than during a fixed annual window. Eligible artisans can register and apply on the Seva Sindhu portal whenever they are ready.

The annual family income ceiling is ₹30,000 for applicants living in rural areas and ₹25,000 for those in urban areas. Applicants whose family income is above these limits would not meet the scheme's eligibility conditions.

Neither. This is a government grant delivered entirely in kind — a free kiosk and a free tool kit. There is no equity stake taken in the artisan's business, no repayment obligation and no cost to the beneficiary.

No. Applicants who have already taken benefits from other government schemes are not eligible, though training programmes are excluded from this restriction. The scheme is also not open to applicants whose family members are employed in government or semi-government organisations.

It is a durable steel-made kiosk supplied free to each selected artisan. It provides a fixed workspace for footwear repair or production, and comes fitted with a signage board display arrangement so the artisan can be identified and found easily by customers. Each unit is valued at ₹1,25,000.

You will need your Aadhaar number, a mobile number linked to that Aadhaar for receiving the OTP, and a valid email ID. The application form itself asks for personal details, address details and banking details, so keep those handy before you begin.

Applications are filed online on Karnataka's Seva Sindhu portal. New users first register using their Aadhaar number and captcha, verify the OTP sent to their Aadhaar-linked mobile, allow DigiLocker permissions, then set up an email ID, mobile number and password and validate both with OTPs. After logging in, go to Department & Services, choose Social Welfare Department, select Padhuke Kuteera Scheme, click Apply Online, fill in the personal, address and banking fields and submit.

Once you submit the form, the portal generates a unique Application ID. Keep it safe, because it is the reference you use to check the real-time status of your application on the Seva Sindhu portal.

No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for Padhuke Kuteera Scheme — Free ₹1.25L Steel Kiosk & Tool Kit for Cobblers, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.

Padhuke Kuteera Scheme — Free ₹1.25L Steel Kiosk & Tool Kit for Cobblers is offered by Karnataka State Leather Industries Development Corporation (LIDKAR), a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.