Mobile Food Court Van Scheme (Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam)

What is the Mobile Food Court Van scheme?

The Mobile Food Court Van scheme is a self-employment credit scheme of Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam (Scheduled Castes), a corporation under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat. In Gujarati it appears as "Mobile Food Court Van" on the Nigam's scheme list alongside the passenger vehicle, small business, livestock and Mahila Samruddhi schemes.

The stated purpose in the Nigam's own scheme sheet is to create self-employment for unemployed persons of Antyodaya families by financing them in the food and beverage sector. A mobile food court van is a fitted-out vehicle that operates as a kitchen and counter. The applicant buys the van, fits it out, and runs it as a business. Gujarat's cities and highway corridors have a large and growing market for exactly this, and the Nigam treats it as a higher-ticket alternative to its small pushcart and shop loans.

Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam is distinct from Gujarat's other social justice corporations. The Gujarat Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, the Gujarat Backward Class Development Corporation, the Gujarat Sanitation Worker Development Corporation, the Gujarat Thakor and Koli Development Corporation and the Gujarat Minority Finance and Development Corporation each serve a different group. Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam is the one whose loans reach Scheduled Caste families at the Antyodaya end of the income distribution, and its office is at Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, Fourth Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10-B, Gandhinagar.

How much money does the Mobile Food Court Van scheme provide?

The Nigam publishes the full financial structure of the scheme:

The indicative monthly instalment depends on the term chosen:

• 5-year term (60 months): about Rs 11,020 a month
• 6-year term (72 months): about Rs 9,443 a month
• 7-year term (84 months): about Rs 8,327 a month

Choosing the longer term reduces the monthly pressure but costs more interest in total. For a food van whose revenue is seasonal; heavy during festivals and wedding seasons, thin in the monsoon. The 7-year option leaves more room in a bad month, and that is usually the safer choice for a first-time business owner.

Note the Rs 30,000 beneficiary contribution. It is not a fee and it is not waivable; the applicant has to bring 5 per cent of the project cost to the table before the Nigam releases its 95 per cent.

Who is eligible for the Mobile Food Court Van scheme?

You qualify if:

• You are an original resident of Gujarat belonging to a Scheduled Caste.
• You are 18 years of age or above.
• You are unemployed and intend to run the mobile food business yourself.
• Your family annual income is within the ceiling the Nigam notifies for the cycle. The Nigam's online loan portal states a family income limit of Rs 3.00 lakh a year for its direct-lending schemes.
• You can arrange two guarantors who meet the Nigam's requirements.
• You can put up the Rs 30,000 beneficiary share.

You are not eligible and cannot apply if:

• You do not hold a Scheduled Caste certificate from a Gujarat competent authority.
• You are a sanitation worker or a dependant of one. The Nigam's own eligibility note excludes this group, because they are served by the separate Gujarat Sanitation Worker Development Corporation.
• You are in government or semi-government employment. The scheme is for the unemployed.
• You have an outstanding loan from this corporation that has not been closed. One live loan per borrower is the rule.
• You are under 18.
• Your family income is above the notified ceiling.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Mobile Food Court Van scheme

1. Check that the application window is open. Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam runs annual cycles. For 2026-27 the Nigam notified the closing date as 14 August 2026 at 24:00 hours, so applications must be filed before the window shuts.
2. Go to the Nigam's loan portal at daadconline.gujarat.gov.in and register as a new applicant with your mobile number and Aadhaar details.
3. Select the Mobile Food Court Van scheme from the list of schemes on the portal.
4. Fill in the application with your personal details, caste and income details, the proposed business location and the project cost taken from your dealer quotation.
5. Upload the scanned documents; caste certificate, income certificate, age proof, domicile proof, Aadhaar, bank passbook, the van quotation and the guarantor papers.
6. Submit and save the application number shown on screen. Print or photograph the acknowledgement.
7. Attend document verification at the Nigam's district office when called, carrying every original document and both guarantors.
8. Complete the loan formalities after sanction — sign the loan agreement, deposit your Rs 30,000 share, and the Nigam releases the balance for the purchase of the van.

How to apply offline

1. Visit the district office of Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam, or the head office at Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, Fourth Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10-B, Gandhinagar.
2. Ask for the Mobile Food Court Van scheme application form and the scheme sheet, which the Nigam also publishes as a downloadable PDF on sje.gujarat.gov.in.
3. Submit the completed form with self-attested copies of all documents and both guarantors' papers, and obtain a stamped receipt.

Note that the Nigam directs applicants to the online portal for its direct financing schemes, so the online route is the primary one and the district office is where verification and documentation happen.

How do you check your application status?

1. Log in to daadconline.gujarat.gov.in with the credentials you created and open the application status screen.
2. Quote your application number to the Nigam's district office if the portal shows the file as pending with the district.
3. Call the Nigam head office on +91 79 2325 6325 if the file has been with the district for an unusually long time.
4. Watch your bank account after sanction: disbursement is made through the bank account you registered.

Why do Mobile Food Court Van applications get rejected?

• Income above the ceiling. The income certificate is the first thing scrutinised.
• An existing unpaid loan from the same corporation. Close the earlier loan first.
• Government or semi-government employment of the applicant.
• Guarantors who do not qualify, the most common practical hold-up, because two solvent guarantors are harder to find than applicants expect.
• Inability to deposit the Rs 30,000 beneficiary share at the sanction stage.
• A vague or inflated quotation for the van. The Nigam fixes the loan against a genuine dealer quotation, not an estimate.
• Application filed after the closing date. For 2026-27 that was 14 August

Most rejections are curable. Fix the specific defect. A fresh income certificate, a replacement guarantor, a proper quotation, and file again in the next cycle.

What happens after the loan is sanctioned?

The Nigam disburses the sanctioned amount, generally against the vehicle and equipment purchase rather than as free cash. Repayment then begins on the agreed monthly instalment, roughly Rs 11,020, Rs 9,443 or Rs 8,327 depending on whether you chose 5, 6 or 7 years. Interest accrues at 6 per cent.

Two things protect a borrower here. First, keep every instalment on time; a default is recovered from the guarantors, which damages relationships as much as credit records. Second, keep the business records, a food van that is running and paying is the strongest case for any future credit from the same corporation or from a bank.

Where do you get help or complain?

• Dr Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam (SC), Gandhinagar: +91 79 2325 6325. Address: Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, Fourth Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector 10-B, Gandhinagar.
• The Nigam's district office in your district for application, verification and disbursement queries.
• Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Government of Gujarat, at sje.gujarat.gov.in, for a written grievance.

Applying is free. No agent can charge you for filing an application on daadconline.gujarat.gov.in, and no one from the Nigam will ask for a payment to "get the loan sanctioned".