PIPDIC Equipment Acquisition Scheme — ₹5L Loans for Small-Scale Units — Frequently Asked Questions

For manufacturing and installing renewable energy or energy-saving systems, a loan of ₹5,00,000 per product is available. For the other categories the scheme covers — in-house quality control facilities, DG sets, pollution control equipment, computers and accessories, and indigenization or import substitution equipment — support is need-based, so the amount is decided by what your specific project requires and no fixed ceiling is published.

The money can go towards establishing an in-house quality control facility, buying a DG set for uninterrupted power, purchasing pollution control equipment, acquiring computers and related accessories, or procuring equipment tied to indigenization or import substitution. Manufacturing and installing renewable energy or energy-saving systems is a separately funded category under the same scheme.

Any organisation operating in the small-scale sector is eligible. That is the eligibility condition the scheme sets out, and it applies to units in the Union Territory of Puducherry, since the programme is run by PIPDIC under the Puducherry Department of Industries & Commerce.

No. The published eligibility criteria only require the applicant to be a small-scale sector organisation. DPIIT recognition and MSME/Udyam registration are not mentioned as conditions, so you can apply on the strength of your small-scale status alone.

There is no deadline. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and the scheme remains open round the year, so you can file whenever your project is ready.

No. This is a debt scheme, so the assistance comes as a loan that you repay. You do not hand over any equity, shares or ownership stake in your enterprise to PIPDIC.

The fee depends on the size of the loan. It is ₹100 for loans up to ₹25,00,000 and ₹200 for loans above ₹25,00,000. Payment is made online after you complete the application form, and you are taken to a summary page to verify and pay. A receipt is generated on the PIPDIC website that you can save or print.

Go to the PIPDIC website and register as a new customer with a username, email id, password and captcha. Verify your email with the OTP and log in to your customer dashboard, then complete the Edit Profile section and submit it. From the dashboard, open the Applications tab to begin the loan application. You will see the General Terms and Conditions, the interest rate structure, investigation fees and collateral security norms in a pop-up — review them, make sure your documents are ready, and click 'I Agree'. Fill in every mandatory field of the multi-step form, accept the declaration, then enter the biodata of the promoter, partner or director and upload your KYC and supporting documents against each field using the Choose File button. After paying the fee, track the application through the View My application link.

You will need KYC and supporting documents to upload against each field in the application form, along with the biodata of your promoter, partner or director. Before you start, PIPDIC also displays the interest rate structure, investigation fee and collateral security norms, so it is worth going through those details at the same time.

Your application goes for review by PIPDIC officials and the status on your dashboard changes to UNDER REVIEW. The review looks at your eligibility as a small-scale sector organisation, the necessity and likely impact of the equipment you have asked for, and whether your documentation is complete and accurate. If the review is successful, the loan approval and disbursement steps follow.

PIPDIC Equipment Acquisition Scheme — ₹5L Loans for Small-Scale Units is offered by Pondicherry Industrial Promotion Development and Investment Corporation (PIPDIC), a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.