National Livestock Mission, Capital Subsidy for Livestock Entrepreneurs

What is the National Livestock Mission capital subsidy?

National Livestock Mission (NLM) is a centrally sponsored scheme of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) with an outlay of Rs 2,300 crore, implemented since 2014-15 and revised in 2021-22. Its entrepreneurship window, the NLM Entrepreneurship Development Programme (NLM-EDP), gives a one-time 50% capital subsidy to people setting up livestock and fodder businesses.

Unlike Rashtriya Gokul Mission, which is about cattle and buffalo genetics, NLM targets the parts of the livestock economy that carry the poorest households: rural poultry, small ruminants (sheep and goat), piggery, indigenous horse, donkey and camel, and feed and fodder. The two are separate schemes with separate budget lines, the Union Budget 2026-27 allocates Rs 808 crore to National Livestock Mission, so the programme is live and funded.

The subsidy ceiling by sub-sector, according to the NLM guidelines and the portal's FAQ:

In every case the rate is 50% of eligible project cost, paid as capital subsidy in two equal instalments.

Who is eligible for the National Livestock Mission subsidy?

You can apply if you are:

• An individual entrepreneur, a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), a Self Help Group (SHG), a Farmer Cooperative Organisation (FCO), a Joint Liability Group (JLG) or a Section 8 company.
• Someone who has training, sufficient experience in the relevant field, or technical experts with such experience to manage and run the project.
• Able to show a sanctioned loan from a bank or a financial institution such as NCDC, or a bank guarantee from a scheduled bank along with the bank's appraisal of the project.
• The owner or lessee of the land where the project will be established. FPOs, FCOs, SHGs and JLGs follow a separate procedure decided for them.
• Able to run the project for at least three years after completion.
• Holding all relevant KYC documents.
• Capable of putting in at least 10% of the project cost as margin money.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• Your proposed unit is below the minimum size: under 1,000 parent layers for rural poultry, under 100 females for sheep and goat, or under 50 sows for piggery.
• You want subsidy for land purchase, land rent or lease, working capital, or a personal vehicle. All four are explicitly excluded.
• You have neither a loan sanction nor a bank guarantee. Without one of these the State Level Executive Committee cannot move the file.
• You cannot bring 10% margin money of your own.
• You intend to close or sell the unit within three years of starting commercial production, which is a ground for recall of subsidy.

How to apply for the National Livestock Mission capital subsidy

1. Register on the NLM portal at nlm.udyamimitra.in using your mobile number and verify the OTP sent to it.
2. Prepare and upload the detailed project report matching a permitted unit size, along with land papers, training or experience proof, KYC documents, ITR for 3 years, 6 months of bank statements, photograph and signature. Companies also upload 3 years of audited financials.
3. Select your preferred bank from the dropdown on the portal so the application can be routed for financing.
4. State Implementing Agency scrutiny. The State Implementing Agency of the State Animal Husbandry Department examines your application and gives an in-principle recommendation for sanction of the loan by the bank or by NCDC.
5. Get the loan sanctioned, or, for a self-financed project, furnish the bank guarantee valid for three years in the name of DAHD, keep the original with the State Implementing Agency and upload a copy plus the declaration.
6. SLEC approval. The State Implementing Agency places the case before the State Level Executive Committee (SLEC), chaired at the state animal husbandry department level, which recommends it to the central government.
7. DAHD approval. The Project Approval Committee in DAHD approves the project and marks the approval on the portal.
8. Draw the first instalment. Once 25% of the sanctioned loan is released; or 25% of your own expenditure is verified in a self-financed project: SIDBI releases the first half of the subsidy to your lending bank for credit to your account. Sign the surety bond and integrity undertaking before this release.
9. Complete the project and claim the balance. The second and final instalment is released only after the project is completed, made operational and certified by the State Implementing Agency.

How much subsidy do you get for each unit size?

Sheep and goat. The unit must have 100 to 500 females and 5 to 25 males, and subsidy scales with size:

Piggery. The breeder farm must have 50 to 100 sows and 5 to 10 boars, sourced from central or state government farms, university farms or local farmers with high genetic merit:

Rural poultry. A 50% capital subsidy of up to Rs 25 lakh is given for a hatchery and mother unit with a minimum of 1,000 parent layers, using low-input-technology birds listed in the guidelines.

Feed and fodder. A 50% capital subsidy of up to Rs 50 lakh is available for silage making units, fodder block making units and fodder seed production infrastructure.

The subsidy covers housing, breeding animals along with transport and insurance cost, and equipment and machinery. It does not cover land, rent, working capital or personal vehicles.

How is the subsidy money routed?

The flow is deliberately bank-anchored so that the subsidy cannot be drawn without real investment on the ground.

• SIDBI is the channelling agency. DAHD releases the approved subsidy through SIDBI to the lending bank or financial institution, which credits it to the beneficiary.
• First instalment: released after the bank or NCDC releases at least 25% of the sanctioned loan and the State Implementing Agency confirms it. In a self-financed project, it is released after you have spent 25% of the project cost on infrastructure from your own share and the State Implementing Agency has verified it.
• Second instalment: released after the project is complete and operational, certified by the State Implementing Agency.
• After completion: the State Implementing Agency follows up on the project's operation for two years.
• Assets created are GI-tagged and monitored through the portal's built-in MIS.

How to check your NLM application status

1. Log in at nlm.udyamimitra.in and open the TRACK STATUS tab in the upper right corner of the portal.
2. The status will show which stage the file is at: State Implementing Agency scrutiny, bank sanction, SLEC recommendation, DAHD Project Approval Committee, or subsidy release.
3. If it is stuck at bank stage, follow up with the branch you selected; if stuck at state stage, contact the State Implementing Agency of your State Animal Husbandry Department.
4. DAHD has appointed a Project Management Agency (PMA) to handhold beneficiaries in submitting proposals and to maintain liaison with banks on fund flow. Ask your state department for the PMA contact in your state.

Common reasons NLM applications are rejected or stall

• No loan sanction and no bank guarantee. This is the single biggest cause of stalled files.
• Unit size below the minimum prescribed for that sub-sector.
• Land papers not in the applicant's name and no valid lease deed.
• No training certificate or evidence of experience, and no technical expert named.
• Margin money below 10% of project cost.
• Subsidy sought on excluded items such as land, rent or working capital.
• Incomplete uploads; ITRs, bank statements or audited financials missing.

Grievance and recall provisions

The State Implementing Agency of your State Animal Husbandry Department is the first point of contact for a stuck application, followed by the NLM Division of DAHD at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. States are also required to involve Panchayati Raj institutions, Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Panchayat, and Pashu Sakhis under the National Rural Livelihood Mission in grassroots monitoring and feedback.

Applicants should be aware of the recall clause: DAHD reserves the right to recall or withdraw the subsidy in full or in part if the project is not completed, ceases operation or is abandoned within three years of the start of commercial production, or where DAHD believes the subsidy has been misused. Every applicant signs a surety bond and an integrity undertaking before the first instalment is released.

Applications under NLM are free and are filed by the applicant on nlm.udyamimitra.in. No agent has authority to promise sanction; approval rests with the State Level Executive Committee and DAHD's Project Approval Committee.