Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana: Assistance to MSME Manufacturing Sector Participation in the Exhibition (National and International)

What is the exhibition assistance under Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana?

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana is the Gujarat government's dedicated MSME support package for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs, notified by the Industries and Mines Department through Government Resolution No. SSI/102020/332376/CH dated 1 September 2020 and published on ic.gujarat.gov.in under the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020. The GR fixes the operative period as 7 August 2020 to 6 August 2025.

The yojana runs fifteen numbered component schemes. This guide covers Scheme 14 to Assistance to MSME Manufacturing sector participation in the Exhibition (National and International).

The purpose is market access. The GR's parent policy notes that exhibitions and trade fairs are an important platform for MSMEs to network and promote their products to a wider audience, and that the policy aims to support participation in national and international fairs. For a first-generation SC or ST manufacturer, a stall at a large trade fair can cost more than a month's turnover, so the state reimburses most of the cost after the event.

How much does the exhibition scheme pay?

Assistance is calculated on stall rent plus the cost of product literature and display material, and is paid by way of reimbursement after the event.

For the international-outside-India category, the GR adds a sub-cap: the maximum cost of product literature and display material is Rs 50,000 within the overall Rs 5 lakh limit.

These rates are more generous than the general Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 benefit available to all MSMEs, which is 75% of stall rent up to Rs 50,000 for a state level fair, Rs 1 lakh for a national fair and Rs 2 lakh for an international fair in India, and 60% up to Rs 5 lakh for an international fair abroad. The Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana raises the percentage for SC and ST enterprises and expands the reimbursable base to include literature and display material, not stall rent alone.

Who is eligible and who is not eligible?

Eligible

• A Micro, Small or Medium Enterprise as defined under the MSMED Act, 2006, holding Udyam Registration or a Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum acknowledgement.
• An SC/ST enterprise; one in which the contribution of the SC or ST entrepreneur is 51% or more. The GR's general conditions confirm that any legal entity such as a partnership, company or LLP with 51% or more SC/ST shareholding qualifies for all schemes under the resolution.
• An enterprise of the manufacturing sector.
• An enterprise in production in the State of Gujarat during the operative period of the scheme.
• Participation in exhibitions or trade fairs organised in India, or international exhibitions or trade fairs organised outside India or inside India.

Not eligible / cannot apply

• Non-manufacturing enterprises. The component is expressly limited to the MSME manufacturing sector, so a trading business or a pure service business cannot apply under it.
• Enterprises with less than 51% SC or ST contribution, which must use the general Scheme for Assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises instead.
• Individuals who are not running a registered MSME. There is no personal travel or participation grant for a person.
• Enterprises not in production in Gujarat during the operative period.
• International exhibitions without the required approval. An international event must be approved by MSME-DI, ITPO, EEPC India, FIEO or the state government.
• Applications filed more than six months after the last date of the exhibition.
• Claims for the same component already reimbursed under another state government scheme, unless that scheme specifically permits it.

What costs are covered?

The reimbursable base under the GR is:

• Cost of stall rent paid to the exhibition organiser
• Cost of product literature; catalogues, brochures, technical sheets
• Display material cost, banners, standees, display fittings for the stall

The GR does not list travel, hotel or freight as reimbursable heads under this component. Applicants should therefore claim only stall rent and literature and display material, and keep those invoices separate from travel bills.

How to apply for exhibition assistance

1. Check eligibility before booking the stall. Confirm the enterprise is a manufacturing MSME with valid Udyam Registration, that SC or ST contribution is 51% or more, and that the unit is in production in Gujarat.
2. For an international exhibition, verify approval first. The event must be approved by the MSME Development Institute, India Trade Promotion Organization, EEPC India, the Federation of Indian Export Organizations or the state government. Book only after confirming this, because an unapproved event cannot be reimbursed afterwards.
3. Participate and keep the paperwork. Retain the stall allotment letter, the stall rent invoice and receipt, invoices for product literature and display material, photographs of the stall, and the organiser's participation certificate.
4. File the application within six months of the last date of the exhibition or trade fair, in the prescribed application form on the IFP Portal (ifpgujarat.gov.in), addressed to the District Industries Centre, uploading the Udyam registration, caste certificate, shareholding proof, invoices, receipts and participation evidence.
5. Respond to DIC scrutiny. The District Industries Centre verifies the claim, the SC/ST holding, the manufacturing status and the expenditure heads, and may seek clarification.
6. Receive the reimbursement. Under the GR, sanction and disbursement for Scheme 14 is done by the General Manager, District Industries Centre. The assistance is credited to the enterprise's bank account.

Because the MSME Commissionerate is supported to prescribe forms and checklists, download the current application form from the Industrial Policy 2020 section of ic.gujarat.gov.in before filing.

Conditions attached to the assistance

The GR sets out specific conditions for this component:

1. An enterprise that has received assistance under this scheme is not entitled to avail benefit of any other state government scheme for the same component or purpose, unless that scheme specifically provides for it.
2. An MSME may avail Government of India scheme benefits for components for which state assistance has not been taken, and vice versa.
3. The total quantum of assistance under state and central schemes together is limited to the actual expenditure incurred.
4. The MSME unit must apply in the prescribed application form on the IFP Portal to the DIC within six months from the last date of the exhibition or trade fair.
5. An international level exhibition must be approved by MSME-DI, ITPO, EEPC India, FIEO or the state government.
6. The assistance is provided by way of reimbursement, so the enterprise must pay first and claim later.

Where this fits in the wider yojana

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana runs several other components an SC or ST manufacturer may qualify for alongside exhibition support, including:

• Assistance for raising capital through SME Exchange to 30% of the cost of raising equity, up to Rs 5 lakh one time, applied for within a year of listing.
• Assistance for power connection charges to 50% of charges paid to the distribution licensee for an LT or HT service line, up to Rs 5 lakh.
• Assistance to basic industrial infrastructure to 75% of the cost of approach road, water or gas connection outside GIDC or industrial park areas, up to Rs 15 lakh in total.
• Assistance in rent to MSEs to 70% of rent paid, up to Rs 1,00,000 per year, for a rented or leased shed used for manufacturing.
• Special entrepreneurship training with 360-degree approach — mentorship support at 100% of mentorship cost up to Rs 5,000 per month per person for up to three months, plus a sustenance allowance of Rs 5,000 per month during training.
• Sheds and plots; up to 70% of the GIDC allotment price for a multi-storeyed shed or a plot of not more than 1,000 sq m allotted to an SC or ST entrepreneur.

Under the GR's general conditions, an enterprise is eligible under all the component schemes whose separate conditions it meets.

Common reasons an exhibition claim gets rejected

• Claim filed after the six-month window from the last date of the fair.
• Enterprise is a trader or service provider, not a manufacturer.
• SC or ST contribution below 51% on the records produced.
• International event not on the approved list of MSME-DI, ITPO, EEPC India, FIEO or the state government.
• Travel, accommodation or freight bills claimed, which are not part of the reimbursable base.
• Number of claims exhausted; five for each category of exhibition in India, three for international events abroad.
• Same expenditure already reimbursed by another state department's scheme.
• Literature and display cost above Rs 50,000 claimed in the international-outside-India category.

Key dates and current status

• 7 August 2020. The yojana comes into force with the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 announcement.
• 1 September 2020: GR No. SSI/102020/332376/CH issued.
• 6 August 2025; end of the notified five-year operative period.

Gujarat has since published the Viksit Gujarat Industrial Policy 2026 on ic.gujarat.gov.in. Since the notified operative period ended on 6 August 2025, an enterprise that exhibited recently should confirm with its District Industries Centre or the MSME Commissionerate whether the yojana has been extended or succeeded before filing.

Where to get help

• General Manager, District Industries Centre of your district. The sanctioning and disbursing authority for this component and the practical first point of contact.
• MSME Commissioner, Gandhinagar; issues the forms, checklists and implementation guidelines for the yojana.
• Office of the Industries Commissionerate, Block No. 1, 2nd Floor, Udyog Bhavan, Gandhinagar 382 010, Gujarat. Phone 23252683 / 23252617.