Subsidy Scheme for Establishment of Goat Unit (10+1) for Scheduled Caste People

What is the Subsidy Scheme for Establishment of Goat Unit (10+1)?

The Subsidy Scheme for Establishment of Goat Unit (10+1) is a livestock self-employment scheme of the Directorate of Animal Husbandry, Gujarat, which works under the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Co-operation Department. According to the Directorate's scheme page, 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.

The scheme pays 50 per cent of the unit cost, subject to a maximum of Rs 60,000, for a unit of 10 female goats and 1 buck. The Scheduled Caste component of the scheme is the one described on this page; it is funded under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan, which reserves a share of the animal husbandry budget for Scheduled Caste families. Applications for all components are filed on the same portal, i-Khedut, which is the Gujarat government's single window for agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries schemes.

Goat rearing is chosen for this kind of scheme for a practical reason. A goat unit needs very little land, the animals feed largely on grazing and crop residue, and the first income arrives within a year rather than after three or four years as with cattle. That makes it workable for a landless or small-holding Scheduled Caste family, which is exactly the group the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan is meant to reach.

Key features

• Standard of assistance: 50 per cent subsidy on unit cost or a maximum of Rs 60,000, whichever is lower.
• Unit size: 10 female goats plus 1 buck.
• Frequency: once in a lifetime, for one member of a family only.
• Implementing office: Directorate of Animal Husbandry and its district and taluka veterinary establishments.
• Application route: online on ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in.

Who is eligible for the goat unit subsidy in Gujarat?

You can claim the Scheduled Caste component if:

• You belong to a Scheduled Caste notified in Gujarat and hold a caste certificate from the competent authority.
• You are a resident of Gujarat.
• No member of your family has already taken this goat unit benefit. The Directorate limits the assistance to one member of a family, once in a lifetime.
• You have a bank account in your own name for the subsidy transfer, and a barcoded ration card and Aadhaar card.

You cannot apply, or will not be eligible, if:

• You do not hold a Scheduled Caste certificate; in that case you must apply under the Scheduled Tribe or General Category component instead, not this one.
• Another member of your family has already received the goat unit subsidy at any time in the past.
• You are not a resident of Gujarat, because the scheme is a state scheme funded from the Gujarat animal husbandry budget.
• Your documents do not match. A bank account in a different name from the applicant, or a ration card that is not barcoded, is enough to hold up the file.

The Directorate's published eligibility line is short: as per the scheme framework, beneficiaries from Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes and the General Category are eligible. There is no published income ceiling and no published age band beyond the requirement to produce a date of birth certificate.

What documents are required for the goat unit scheme?

Keep both a physical set and clear scans. The i-Khedut portal asks for uploads, and the taluka or district animal husbandry office usually asks for a signed paper set of the same documents at verification.

How to apply for the goat unit subsidy on i-Khedut

1. Open ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in and go to the schemes section, then choose Animal Husbandry as the department.
2. Find the component named for the establishment of a Goat Unit (10+1) for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries and check that the window for the current financial year is open. Components on i-Khedut open and close by notification, so a closed component cannot be applied for even if it is listed.
3. Register as a new applicant if you have not used i-Khedut before, using your Aadhaar number and mobile number, then log in.
4. Fill the application form with your personal details, caste category, village and taluka, bank account number and IFSC code.
5. Upload the scanned documents; Aadhaar, caste certificate, barcoded ration card, bank passbook, date of birth proof, photo ID and the signed undertaking.
6. Submit the application and print the confirmation. Sign the printed copy and submit it, with photocopies of the documents, to the office named on the acknowledgement.
7. Wait for sanction before buying any animals, then complete the purchase and present the purchase evidence for verification.

How to apply offline through the gram panchayat or veterinary dispensary

1. Visit your gram panchayat or the nearest government veterinary dispensary with your original documents.
2. Ask the Village Computer Entrepreneur at the panchayat, or the veterinary staff, to file the i-Khedut application on your behalf.
3. Collect the printed acknowledgement carrying your application number, sign it and hand it in with the document set.

The Directorate states plainly that the application can be made through the gram panchayat or the nearest government veterinary dispensary. Use that route if you are not comfortable with the online form; the veterinary officer is also the person who will inspect the unit later.

How much is the benefit and how is it paid?

The standard of assistance published by the Directorate of Animal Husbandry is 50 per cent of the unit cost, or a maximum of Rs 60,000, whichever is lower. If the unit cost approved for the year is Rs 1,20,000, the subsidy works out to the full Rs 60,000. If the unit cost is lower, the subsidy is half of that lower figure. The applicant funds the remaining share, either from savings or from a bank loan against the unit.

The subsidy is released to the applicant's bank account after the unit is established and verified. That is why the bank passbook copy or cancelled cheque is a mandatory document, and why the account should be in the applicant's own name and active.

How do I check my i-Khedut application status?

1. Log in to ikhedut.gujarat.gov.in with the credentials used at registration.
2. Open the application status option and enter your application number from the acknowledgement print.
3. Check the stage shown — submitted, pending verification, sanctioned or rejected.

For anything the portal does not explain, contact the taluka or district animal husbandry office, or the government veterinary dispensary that covers your village. They hold the physical file and can tell you which document is holding it up.

Why goat unit applications get rejected

• A family member has already taken the benefit. This is the single hardest rule in the scheme and it is checked against the barcoded ration card.
• Caste certificate missing or issued by an authority that is not competent.
• Bank account details wrong, a mismatched name, a closed account, or an IFSC code that does not match the branch.
• Animals purchased before sanction, which leaves nothing for the department to verify against an approved unit cost.
• Incomplete uploads. A blurred ration card scan or a missing undertaking form is enough for the file to be returned.
• Applying outside the open window for the financial year.

Fix the cause and reapply in the next window rather than filing a fresh duplicate application in the same year, which only creates two incomplete files.

Help and grievance redressal

Raise queries first with the government veterinary dispensary or taluka animal husbandry office covering your village, then with the District Animal Husbandry Officer. The Directorate of Animal Husbandry publishes district-wise office addresses on doah.gujarat.gov.in, and the i-Khedut portal carries the help and contact section for portal and login problems.

No fee is charged for making this application. A gram panchayat operator may charge only the notified data-entry fee for assisted filing, and no agent can charge for "getting the subsidy sanctioned".