Samriddhi – Scheme for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Students for Setting Start-Ups

Description
The scheme "Samriddhi – Scheme for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Students for Setting Start-Ups" was launched by the All India Council for Technical Education. The scheme aims to provide opportunities for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students to design, launch, and run their own business or startup after formal education is completed or during their final year of education. The scheme provides a limited one-time financial assistance of ₹20,00,000/- of which ₹1,00,000/- per year is a recurring grant to the institute, which then selects nine registered startups of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students and provides ₹2,00,000/- seed money to each startup.

Benefits
• Total funding provided is ₹20,00,000/-.
• Limited one-time financial assistance of ₹20,00,000/- is provided to the Institute.
• Seed money of ₹2,00,000/- per startup will be given, and this amount is non-refundable.
• Funding is allocated for nine startups of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students.
• ₹2,00,000/- will be given to the institute specifically for meeting the expenditure associated with the selection procedure.
• ₹1,00,000/- per year shall constitute a recurring grant portion of the total funding.
• The total duration of the Scheme shall be for a period of 2 years.
• 100% of non-recurring funds are released at the time of the award of the scheme.
• ₹1,00,000/- each is released as recurring funding for two consecutive years.
• The seed money is provided to passed out or present students for starting their own enterprise after completion of the formal education from the same institute.
• The Institute must set up a committee to select nine already registered startups of Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students.
• It is essential that the center has dedicated faculty serving as the Principal Coordinator and dedicated support staff to ensure smooth functioning and effective meeting of its objectives.
• The Institute must devise a feedback mechanism to assess the importance of the program.
• Feedback shall be obtained after each program from each of the beneficiaries.
• If deemed necessary based on feedback, the Institute can update its curriculum for these programs.
• Exclusions from Benefit
• Startup beneficiaries who are already receiving benefits from other schemes of the All India Council for Technical Education or the Government of India will not be entitled to this scheme.

Eligibility Criteria
1. - The applicant must be an All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved institute or an All India Council for Technical Education approved University Department.
2. - The applicant (Institute/University Department) must have been in existence for a period of at least 10 years.
3. - The applicant (Institution) must possess a good incubation center.
4. - The incubation center's activities must have been happening for at least 5 years.
5. - The applicant (Institute) must have a minimum of 50 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe students enrolled on average during the last 3 years.
6. - The applicant (Institute) must comply with the guidelines of the Tribal Sub Plan and the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan of the Government of India.
7. - Student Eligibility (For selection by the Institute)
8. - The applicant (Student) must be in the final year of their degree or diploma course.
9. - The applicant (Student) must have a registered company or startup in their name.
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Application Process
Step 1: The applicant (Institute) must first log in to the existing All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Portal utilizing the credentials previously provided by the All India Council for Technical Education.
Following successful login, the in…
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The applicant (Institute) must first log in to the existing All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Portal utilizing the credentials previously provided by the All India Council for Technical Education.
Following successful login, the institution must navigate to the All India Council for Technical Education Quality Improvement Schemes (AQIS) Application screen by clicking on the designated tab.
The system will automatically populate various Institute Details on the AQIS Application – Institute Details form, such as the Permanent Institute Identification, Name of the Institute, Address, and Institution Type; these fields cannot be edited by the Institute.
The Institute must then manually complete the required editable details, including the Institute District, Percentage Grant received from the Government, Permanent Account Number (PAN) details, the reference number of the Extension of Approval letter for the current year, and the official Email Identification of the Institute.
The Institute must provide comprehensive Bank Details, specifying the Name of Bank (selected from a dropdown), Branch details, Account Number (entered and re-entered, converting to asterisks for security), Indian Financial System Code (IFSC Code, entered and re-entered, requiring 11 digits), Bank Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) Code, Bank Code, and Pin Code.
After entering the data, the applicant must check the Declaration flag and click the "Save Bank Details" button, which renders the fields read-only and activates the "Confirm Bank Details" button.
The institution must click "Confirm Bank Details" and then "Ok" to finalize the bank details, which makes this section read-only and enables the "New" button necessary for starting the AQIS Application.
The user must click the "New" button, which is enabled only after confirming the Bank Details, to create a new All India Council for Technical Education Quality Improvement Schemes (AQIS) Application.
An error message will be displayed if the Institute is not approved by the All India Council for Technical Education.
A unique AQIS Application Identification will be generated, and the applicant must select the "SAMRIDDHI-Programme Centre for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Students" from the scheme dropdown list.
The Institute must click the selection menu icon in the Faculty Identification field to add the Principal Investigator’s details, selecting the Faculty Identification from the subsequent list. Data such as Title, Name, Designation, Date of Birth, Qualifications (Undergraduate/Postgraduate/Doctorate), and contact information are auto-populated from existing faculty records.
The Institute must then fill in mandatory fields for the Faculty, including the Technical Field of the Proposal, Abstract, Objective, Expected Outcome, and required details such as the Principal Investigator's Aadhaar Card (Unique Identification Document, 12 digits long) and Permanent Account Number (PAN, 10 digits long). If the faculty added is not Full Time and Regular, an error message will be displayed.
The applicant must navigate through and complete several required tabs applicable to the SAMRIDDHI scheme, which include: AQIS Application Details, Budget Estimates – Non Recurring Samriddhi, Academic Credentials of Coordinator, Justification of Project, Credentials of Institute, and Budget Recurring.
For the "Budget Estimates – Non Recurring Samriddhi" tab, the Institute must click "New" to add details for proposed startups, specifying the Student's Name, Qualification, Phone Number, Email, Project Specification, and the Estimated Cost in Indian Rupees (₹).
In the "Academic Credentials of Coordinator/PI/Applicant" tab and the "Credentials of Institution/Department" tab, the user must add exactly one record for each required Parameter/Criteria by selecting values from dropdown lists and providing associated Counts/Numbers and Details.
After completing all required data entry in the necessary tabs, the user must click on the "Validate Application" button located on the AQIS Application tab.
This action initiates a complete validation of the entire AQIS Application, and upon successful completion, a confirmation message will be displayed.
Error messages will appear if required fields are missed or validation rules (like data length or format) are violated.

Required Documents
• Proof of All India Council For Technical Education Approval (Institute Status)
• Proof of Institute/University Department Existence (Must Be At Least 10 Years)
• Documentation Regarding the Good Incubation Centre
• Records of Incubation Centre Activities (Must Be Ongoing For At Least 5 Years)
• Records of Student Enrollment (Minimum 50 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Students On Average During the Last 3 Years)
• Compliance Documentation For Tribal Sub Plan And Scheduled Caste Sub Plan Guidelines of Government of India
• Reference of Extension of Approval Letter For the Current Year
• Justification Document (Details Regarding Various Parameters/Criteria)
• Institution/Department Credentials (Including Details On Accreditation, Research Projects, Consultancy Projects, And Type of Institute Under TEQIP-I/II)
• Details of the Expenditure (For Budget Recurring, Estimating For Year 1 And Year 2)
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) of the Institute
• Permanent Account Number Card Issuing Authority And State (Institute)
• Permanent Account Number Card Issuing Date (Must Be Less Than Current Date)
• Percentage Grant Received From Government
• Email Identification of the Institute
• Bank Details (Including Account Number, Indian Financial System Code, Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) Code, Bank Code, Account Type, And Account Holder Name)
• Faculty Identification (ID) Details
• Principal Investigator’s Permanent Account Number (Must Be 10 Digits In Length)
• Principal Investigator’s Aadhaar Card (Unique Identification Document) (Must Be 12 Digits In Length)
• Proposal Details (Including Title, Technical Field, Abstract, Objective, And Expected Outcome)
• Coordinator Academic Credentials (Details For Parameters Such As Postgraduate (PG), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Patents Registered, Total Experience, Number of Publications, And Number of PhD Students Guided)
• Proof of Student Enrollment (Final Year Degree/Diploma Course)
• Proof of Registered Company/Start-Up In Student’s Name
• Budget Estimates – Non Recurring Samriddhi (Including Student Name, Qualification, Phone Number, Email, Specification of the Project, And Estimated Cost In Indian Rupees)

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If a startup is already receiving financial support from other government schemes, would that preclude the student from being eligible for this particular program?
A: Yes, startup beneficiaries who are currently receiving assistance from any other scheme offered by the All India Council for Technical Education or the Government of India (GOI) will not be entitled to this program.
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Q: How many registered student start-ups belonging to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe categories will the institution ultimately be expected to select for funding?
A: The institute must establish a dedicated internal committee tasked with selecting exactly 9 already registered startups belonging to the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) students for funding.
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Q: What is the minimum duration the applying educational institution or university department must have been established to meet the requirements?
A: The Institute or University Department seeking to apply for this financial assistance must have been actively operating and in existence for a period of at least ten years.
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Q: Considering the institution is the primary applicant, what is the maximum total limited one-time financial assistance amount that the institution can potentially receive?
A: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) shall provide a limited one-time financial assistance amounting to ₹20,00,000/-, of which ₹1,00,000/- per year shall be counted as a recurring grant.
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Q: What specific allocation of funds is provided directly to the institute for covering administrative costs associated with identifying and selecting the beneficiaries?
A: The institute will be provided ₹2,00,000/- specifically intended for meeting the necessary expenditure related to executing the stipulated selection procedure.
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Q: What is the minimum average enrollment of students from the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe categories the institution must demonstrate over recent academic years?
A: The Institute must verify that it has maintained a minimum average enrollment of 50 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) students on its official roll during the preceding 3 years.
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Q: What is the official total sanctioned time period for which the approved institution will be able to operate the various activities supported by this scheme?
A: The defined total duration for the implementation and operation of the scheme by the institution shall be officially set for a period of 2 Years.
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Q: Does the academic institution need to be recognized by any specific national regulatory body to be eligible to apply for this program?
A: Yes, the applying Institutes or University Departments must hold formal approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
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Q: If my startup is successfully selected by the institution, what is the exact amount of seed funding a student entrepreneur is eligible to receive?
A: The selected student startup will receive seed money of ₹2,00,000/-, which is provided on a non-refundable basis.
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Q: Besides longevity, what physical or organizational facility must the applicant institution possess to qualify for receiving this support?
A: The applying institution is required to possess and maintain a functioning, high-quality good incubation center as part of its infrastructure.
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Q: When exactly should the awarded institution expect to receive the non-recurring portion of the approved financial grant for immediate use?
A: One hundred percent (100%) of the approved non-recurring funds are scheduled to be released by the All India Council for Technical Education at the time the scheme is officially awarded to the institution.
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Q: Do the student applicants need to have formally created a legally recognized business entity or start-up before applying for institutional selection?
A: Yes, it is a strict requirement that the applying student must have an officially registered company or startup listed in his or her name.
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Q: Are there any specific central government planning compliance rules that the applicant institution must adhere to before submitting a proposal?
A: Yes, the applying institution must demonstrate compliance with the official guidelines established for both the Tribal Sub Plan and the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan of the Government of India (GOI).
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Q: How long must the related activities of the incubation center within the institution have been operational for the application to be considered valid?
A: It is mandatory that the activities carried out by the institution&#39;s existing incubation center must have been demonstrably happening for a continuous period of at least 5 years.
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