Puducherry Exhibition & Trade Fair Participation Subsidy — Travel + ₹400/Day

This is a marketing and publicity subsidy operated by the Industries and Commerce Department of the Government of Puducherry. Its job is to get Puducherry's producers in front of buyers, investors and collaborators by absorbing part of the cost of attending business-facing events.

The events covered are broad in scope: promotional campaigns, exhibitions, trade fairs, expos, seminars and investors meets, held either within India or overseas. Both national and international participation is supported.

The stated purpose behind the scheme is twofold. First, it is meant to draw investment into Puducherry's industrial sector by putting local units in the same room as prospective investors. Second, it is meant to improve how well products made by the Union Territory's MSMEs and artisans sell in outside markets — particularly industrial, handicraft and cottage industry goods.

Because it is a government subsidy rather than an investment, support comes as reimbursement and allowance payments rather than in exchange for a stake in the business. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so there is no single window in the year to wait for.

• Subsidy from the Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Puducherry
• Travel reimbursed up to second-class railway fare
• Daily Allowance of ₹400 per day per person for approved events
• Covers exhibitions, trade fairs, expos, seminars and investors meets in India and abroad
• Open to Puducherry artisans and unit industrialists; applications accepted on a rolling basis

The scheme's published eligibility is deliberately narrow and simple: the applicant must be an artisan or a unit industrialist from Puducherry.

In practice this means the beneficiary is an individual craftsperson, or the owner or representative of an industrial unit, operating out of the Union Territory of Puducherry and seeking to take part in an approved market promotion event.

Beyond that single requirement, the scheme documentation does not list additional conditions on sector, turnover, business stage or legal structure of the entity. Support is tied to participation in the approved events themselves, so eligibility is assessed in the context of a specific exhibition, trade fair, expo, seminar or investors meet.

Puducherry Exhibition & Trade Fair Participation Subsidy — Travel + ₹400/Day is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

Puducherry Exhibition & Trade Fair Participation Subsidy — Travel + ₹400/Day 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.

Support under this scheme is financial and comes in two parts, both directed at the cost of actually showing up at an event:

• Travel expenses, reimbursed only up to the cost of second-class railway fare.
• A Daily Allowance of ₹400 per day, per person, for the duration of participation in the approved event.

The allowance and travel support are available for participation in promotional campaigns, exhibitions, trade fairs, expos, seminars and investors meets, whether they are held elsewhere in India or abroad.

What recipients gain beyond the cash is market access and reach. The scheme is designed to raise the marketability of products from Puducherry's industrial, handicraft and cottage industry units, help those units find buyers outside the Union Territory, and put founders and artisans in front of potential investors.

As a government subsidy, this support is non-dilutive — it is not an equity investment, so a recipient does not give up any ownership in their unit in return for the assistance.

Puducherry Exhibition & Trade Fair Participation Subsidy — Travel + ₹400/Day is offered by Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Puducherry, a government body. As a government-backed subsidy, it is publicly funded and open to eligible startups across India.

Before you apply to Puducherry Exhibition & Trade Fair Participation Subsidy — Travel + ₹400/Day, 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.