--- title: "Stand-Up India Scheme: Loans for SC/ST & Women" description: "Stand-Up India Scheme mandates banks to lend ₹10 lakh–₹1 crore to SC, ST, and women entrepreneurs, supporting new ventures since 2016." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/stand-up-india-scheme" --- [New](https://modeldiplomat.com/) # Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026 TL;DR - Stand-Up India is an Indian government scheme launched in 2016 that mandates banks to extend loans between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and women entrepreneurs. - What is the loan amount range under Stand-Up India? - How does Stand-Up India differ from the MUDRA scheme? - Who is eligible for a Stand-Up India loan? - What institutions implement and refinance Stand-Up India? [Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026 Go beyond the definition ## Research Stand-Up India Scheme like a delegate Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students. ## Timeline 1. 5 April 2016 The Stand-Up India Scheme was launched on by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Noida, operationalising a commitment made in the Prime Minister's Independence… 2. 15 August 2015 The Stand-Up India Scheme was launched on 5 April 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Noida, operationalising a commitment made in the Prime Minister's I… 3. 1 December 2022 The Union Cabinet on approved the continuation of the scheme up to 2025. ## Positions at a glance ### Supporters The core procedural mandate requires every scheduled commercial bank branch to facilitate at least two Stand-Up India loans per branch — one to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe borrower and one to a woman borrower. The loan quantum ranges from a minimum of ₹10 lakh to a maximum of ₹1 crore, and is structured as a composite loan covering both term loan and working-capital requirements. A critical eligibility condition is that the loan must finance a greenfield enterprise — that is, the borrower's first venture in the manufacturing, services, trading, or agri-allied sectors. The applicant must be above 18 years of age, and in the case of non-individual enterprises, at least 51 percent of the shareholding and controlling stake must be held by an SC/ST or woman entrepreneur. The scheme finances up to 85 percent of the project cost, leaving the borrower to contribute the remaining 15 percent margin money, though the borrower's own contribution combined with convergence support from other central or state schemes must cover that margin. ### Opponents For the working practitioner — the UPSC aspirant, the policy researcher, or the desk officer in a financial-inclusion division — Stand-Up India is a compact case study in directed credit as an instrument of social justice and economic empowerment. It illustrates the intersection of GS Paper II themes (welfare schemes for vulnerable sections, government policies and interventions) with GS Paper III themes (inclusive growth, banking, and mobilisation of resources). Mastery of its precise parameters — the ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore band, the two-loans-per-branch mandate, the greenfield condition, the 18-month moratorium, and the SIDBI–NCGTC institutional architecture — allows the practitioner to compare it analytically against MUDRA and Start-Up India and to assess the broader efficacy of affirmative credit policy in India. ## Research it like a delegate Research on modeldiplomat.com ## Ask a follow-up about Stand-Up India Scheme Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers. [Start research on Stand-Up India Scheme](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20Stand-Up%20India%20Scheme%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources) Example In April 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Stand-Up India Scheme at Noida, directing every bank branch to sanction at least one loan each to an SC/ST and a woman entrepreneur. Keep learning ## Go deeper than the definition [Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services) ## Take Stand-Up India Scheme beyond the glossary Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.