Subsidy Scheme for Establishment of Goat Unit (10+1) for General Category People

What is the Goat Unit (10+1) subsidy scheme?

The Goat Unit (10+1) subsidy scheme is a livelihood scheme of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Government of Gujarat. It funds the establishment of a breeding goat unit made up of 10 female goats and 1 buck, which is what the "10+1" in the name means.

According to the directorate, the objective is to enable individuals from the general category, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of the state to earn a livelihood through goat rearing, become economically self-reliant, and improve breed quality through proper breeding practices. That last aim is the reason the unit includes a buck rather than only female goats: a household with its own breeding male can plan matings instead of depending on whatever male is available in the village.

Goat rearing is the classic small-livestock activity for a landless or small-holding family in Gujarat. Goats need little capital, browse on marginal land, breed twice in about 14 to 15 months and can be sold in small lots when cash is needed. The scheme's role is to remove the entry barrier, the cost of buying 11 animals at once.

This page describes the general category component. Identical components exist for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries at the same rate.

Who is eligible for the goat unit subsidy?

You can apply if:

• You are a resident of Gujarat and, as per the scheme framework, belong to the general category, or to the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes under their parallel components.
• You are an adult, evidenced by a date of birth certificate.
• You have a bank account in your own name.
• You hold a barcoded ration card and an Aadhaar card.
• No member of your family has already taken this benefit. It is available once in a lifetime for only one member of a family.

You are not eligible and cannot apply if:

• Another member of your family has already received a goat unit under this scheme, in any category.
• You cannot produce the barcoded ration card, Aadhaar card, date of birth proof and bank details asked for.
• You are claiming under the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe component but cannot produce a caste certificate.
• You are a minor.

The published conditions do not require you to own agricultural land, and do not set a formal income ceiling for the general category component.

How much subsidy is given?

A Rs 60,000 ceiling at 50 per cent implies a recognised unit cost of about Rs 1.2 lakh for 11 animals, or roughly Rs 11,000 per animal. The balance is the beneficiary's own contribution, which can be met from savings or a bank loan; several Gujarat animal husbandry components sit alongside a Kisan Credit Card for animal husbandry, on which the state pays 4 per cent interest subvention.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the goat unit subsidy

1. Register on the iKhedut portal at ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in using your Aadhaar number and mobile number. Applications for animal husbandry components open in windows announced on the portal, so check that the goat unit component is currently accepting applications.
2. Fill the online application under the animal husbandry section, selecting the Goat Unit (10+1) component for your category, and enter your bank, ration card and identity details exactly as they appear on the documents.
3. Upload the scanned documents listed above, or keep them ready to submit physically.
4. Take a printout of the submitted application and note the application number.
5. Submit the printout with the self-attested documents to the office shown on the application, within the time limit stated there. The directorate notes that the application can also be routed through the gram panchayat or the nearest government veterinary dispensary, which is the practical route for applicants without internet access.
6. Wait for pre-approval by the concerned component officer, which is granted against the district's physical target for the year.
7. Purchase the unit only after approval, and produce the purchase evidence and the animals for verification as instructed in the sanction order.

How do I check my application status?

Log in to iKhedut with your application number and open the status screen. It shows whether the physical documents have been received, whether the application has passed eligibility check, and whether pre-approval has been issued. Status messages also go to the mobile number entered at registration, which is why it should be the applicant's own number.

If the status stays at "eligible" without approval, the constraint is usually the district physical target, the fixed number of units sanctioned for that district in that financial year — rather than a problem with your papers.

Why do goat unit applications get rejected?

• A family member has already benefited. The once-per-family, once-in-a-lifetime rule is checked against the barcoded ration card, which is why a non-barcoded or mismatched ration card frequently sinks an application.
• Bank account not in the applicant's own name, or an inactive account.
• Documents not submitted within the time limit shown on the application printout.
• Caste certificate missing where the SC or ST component was chosen.
• Purchase made before approval, contrary to the sanction procedure.
• District target exhausted, which defers rather than defeats the application; reapply in the next window.

What should I plan for before the animals arrive?

Buying 11 goats is the start of the project, not the end of it. Arrange a shed that keeps the flock dry and safe at night, a deworming and vaccination schedule with the nearest government veterinary dispensary, and a fodder plan; Gujarat runs separate assistance components for Gajraj grass (hybrid Napier), improved fodder seed minikits and chaff cutters that a goat rearer can use. Keeping a simple purchase, birth, sale and expense record is also sensible, because animal husbandry components in Gujarat routinely involve field verification.

Where do I get help?

• Nearest government veterinary dispensary, for application help, vaccination, treatment and breed advice.
• Gram panchayat. An accepted route for filing the application.
• Directorate of Animal Husbandry, B-Block, 2nd floor, Krishibhavan, Sector-10A, Ch-Road, Gandhinagar 382010. Email: dir-anml@gujarat.gov.in. The directorate's contact page lists its phone as "(079) 0232-56141".
• Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department, Gandhinagar, telephone 079-23250803.

Applying is free. No fee is payable to any agent for filing an iKhedut application or for obtaining a sanction.