Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme for Goan Diaspora

What is the Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme for Goan Diaspora?

Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme for Goan Diaspora is an incentive of the Department of Information Technology, Government of Goa, launched under the Information Technology Policy 2018. It combines two clauses of that policy: the standard capital investment subsidy at clause 6.B.4, and the special encouragement to the Goan diaspora at clause 6.B.12.

The design reflects a stated aim of the policy. Goa's government wrote that it is "keen on inviting Goan diaspora, who have successfully started their own" ventures abroad, to build in Goa. The instrument is money: a diaspora-owned IT unit gets the ordinary investment subsidy plus an additional 10%.

Key features

• Base: up to 20% investment subsidy on capital investments made during the policy period by New Units developing office spaces.
• Diaspora addition: an additional 10% investment subsidy on the capital investments as defined in clause 6.B.4, where the unit is owned by the Goan diaspora.
• Caps stay as in clause 6.B.4 to Rs 10 lakh for Smaller Business Units, Rs 50 lakh for Other Business Units, Rs 1 crore for Mega Business Units.
• A parallel lease rental benefit: 100% reimbursement of lease rentals for the first 6 months of operations, and thereafter Rs 35 per square foot or 80% of total lease rentals, whichever is lower, for up to 2 years.
• Land and building are excluded from capital investment.

Who is eligible and who is not eligible?

Clause 6.B.12(c) sets three conditions that must all be satisfied.

Your unit can claim if:

• The company or firm is registered in Goa.
• The CEO, head or the majority stakeholders are Goan Diaspora, meaning a person who is or was a Resident of Goa or of Goan origin, and who has been working or settled abroad for at least 5 years.
• The unit hires a minimum of 15 employees, of whom a minimum of 60% are of Goan origin.
• The unit is an IT industry unit under the policy definitions, IT products, IT software, IT services or ITeS.
• For the capital investment component, the unit has operated from the said office space for more than 2 years.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are an individual. There is no citizen application route; the applicant is always a registered unit.
• The CEO, head or majority stakeholders are not Goan Diaspora, or have been abroad for less than 5 years.
• The unit employs fewer than 15 people, or less than 60% of employees are of Goan origin.
• The company or firm is not registered in Goa.
• The unit is availing similar financial incentives under any other policy of the Government of Goa, which clause 7.A.2 bars.
• The claim is for land or building, which are outside the definition of capital investment.
• The unit has been in the office space for 2 years or less.

A "Resident of Goa" or a person of "Goan Origin" is a person born in Goa, or resident in the state for 10 years or more, or with at least one parent born in Goa, or the spouse of a person covered by any of those conditions.

How much do I actually get?

Unit size follows headcount of IT professionals in Goa, fewer than 50 is a Smaller Business Unit, 50 to 200 is an Other Business Unit, and more than 200 is a Mega Business Unit.

The employment-linked filter at clause 6.B.1(a) then decides how much of the computed incentive is actually released:

This dovetails neatly with the diaspora scheme's own 60% Goan-origin condition, a unit that satisfies clause 6.B.12(c)(iii) is already at the top band and qualifies for 100% of the incentive. Employees must have been on the payroll for at least 12 months to be counted.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Goan diaspora capital investment subsidy

1. Register the company or firm in Goa if it is not already registered. This is the first of the three express conditions and nothing else can substitute for it.
2. Document the diaspora link. Assemble evidence that the CEO, the head, or the majority stakeholders are of Goan origin or were residents of Goa, and have been working or settled abroad for at least 5 years.
3. Build the team to the threshold. Hire at least 15 employees and keep at least 60% of them of Goan origin, remembering that only employees on the payroll for 12 months count towards the incentive percentage.
4. Register the unit on the Goa single-window system at goaonline.gov.in, which the policy commits to as the route for registration of IT units and for two-way communication with the Government.
5. Prepare the investment record; audited accounts, the fixed asset schedule and invoices for the capital items bought during the policy period, keeping land and building purchases out of the computation.
6. File the incentive claim through the portal, attaching the employment statement, the diaspora evidence and a declaration that the unit is not availing similar financial incentives under any other Goa policy.
7. Claim the lease rental component separately if applicable, for the 100% reimbursement in the first 6 months and the Rs 35 per square foot or 80% of lease rentals benefit thereafter for up to 2 years.
8. Await the supported Committee's decision, which is the authority deciding incentives under the policy, with a commitment of 90 working days for approvals and payments through the single window system.

Why diaspora claims get reduced or rejected

• The 5-year abroad condition is not met by the CEO, head or majority stakeholders.
• Headcount below 15, or Goan-origin share below 60%, on the date the claim is assessed.
• The company is registered outside Goa, with only a branch or project office in the state.
• Land or building cost included in the capital investment computation.
• Less than 2 years in the office space for the capital investment component.
• A similar incentive already taken under another Goa policy.
• Employees counted with under 12 months on the payroll, which drops the unit into a lower release band.

What else does the policy offer a returning founder?

Beyond the diaspora clause, the Information Technology Policy 2018 carries incentives a new Goa-based IT unit can stack, each claimed separately:

• Land and Built-Up Area Rebate — Rs 40,000 per male employee and Rs 50,000 per female employee up to 60% of land cost, capped at Rs 1.5 crore, or up to 20% of the cost of built-up office space, capped at Rs 1 crore.
• Registration and Stamp Duty Subsidy; reimbursement so that registration and stamp duty charges do not exceed Rs 100.
• Power Subsidy to 20% on power charges up to Rs 5 lakh a year for 3 years.
• Internet Subsidy to 25% on high-speed bandwidth up to Rs 5 lakh a year.
• Salary Subsidy, a matching grant up to Rs 10,000 per fresher per month, Rs 12,500 for a female fresher, for 2 continuous years, plus Rs 10,000 per fresher recruitment assistance for campus hiring from institutes in Goa.
• Patent Filing Reimbursement: up to Rs 25 lakh per unit.
• Special incentives for Smaller Business Units: marketing support, performance-linked grant and interest subsidy on working capital loans.

Governance benefits also apply: units may function 24x7x365 in three shifts and are exempted from inspections under all labour laws barring inspections arising from specific complaints, filing self-certifications instead.

Where to get help and one caution

• Department of Information Technology, Government of Goa, which issues the detailed implementation guidelines.
• Goa single-window portal, goaonline.gov.in.
• supported Committee, chaired by the Chief Minister with the IT Minister as Vice-Chairman and the Director of the Department of Information Technology as Member Secretary, which decides incentives and whose Chairman's decision settles any dispute between the Government and a unit.

Note the timing caution. The policy states that it remains in operation for five years from the date of its notification in the official gazette, so confirm with the Department of Information Technology whether the 2018 window is still open or a successor policy applies before you build a claim around it. Clause 7.A.6 also applies: false or misleading information means returning the incentive with 18% per annum interest and being debarred from future Government incentives.

How to check your application status

1. Log in to the Goa single-window portal at goaonline.gov.in with the credentials used to register the IT unit and file the incentive claim. The policy names this portal as the channel for both registration and two-way communication with the Government, so the same login should show any update the Department of Information Technology has posted against the claim.
2. Open the application or service tracking section of the portal and locate the claim filed for the capital investment subsidy or the diaspora addition. Portal dashboards of this kind typically show a claim as submitted, under scrutiny, referred back for clarification, placed before the Empowered Committee, or approved and processed for payment, though the exact wording on screen may differ.
3. Watch for a query or deficiency notice raised through the portal. Because the diaspora clause depends on documentary proof of the CEO or stakeholders' 5-year overseas status and the 60% Goan-origin employee share, scrutiny at the Department level often generates a request for additional evidence before the file goes to the Committee. Responding through the portal keeps the claim moving rather than lapsing.
4. Track against the 90 working day commitment. The policy commits to a 90 working day turnaround for approvals and payments through the single window. If that window has passed with no visible movement on the portal, this is the trigger to follow up rather than wait further.
5. Follow up offline with the Department of Information Technology, Government of Goa if the portal status is unclear or has not moved. Since no dedicated helpline number is published for this specific clause, the practical route is a written or in-person query to the Department referencing the unit's registration number and the date the claim was filed, addressed to the office that services the Empowered Committee (chaired by the Chief Minister, with the IT Minister as Vice-Chairman and the Director of the Department of Information Technology as Member Secretary).
6. Keep the acknowledgement or reference number generated at the time of filing on the single-window system. It is what the Department and the portal helpdesk will ask for first when tracing a pending claim, and it is the applicant's own proof of the date the 90 working day clock is meant to have started.