Passenger Auto Rickshaw Loan Scheme (Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam)

What is the Passenger Auto Rickshaw Loan Scheme in Gujarat?

Passenger Auto Rickshaw Loan Scheme is a self-employment loan run by Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam, a corporation under the Social Justice and Empowerment Department of the Government of Gujarat. The Nigam finances Scheduled Caste families who want to earn a living but cannot raise commercial vehicle finance at market rates, and this particular scheme covers the purchase of a three-wheeler passenger auto rickshaw.

According to the Nigam's loan portal, the three-wheeler category carries a maximum loan of Rs 3,00,000 at 4 per cent interest. That rate is far below what a private financier charges for a commercial three-wheeler, and it is the main reason the scheme exists. An auto rickshaw bought on a 4 per cent Nigam loan leaves the driver with a workable margin after the daily EMI, fuel and permit costs.

Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam is one of several corporations listed on the Social Justice and Empowerment Department website alongside the Gujarat Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, the Gujarat Backward Classes Development Corporation, the Gujarat Safai Kamdar Development Corporation and the Gujarat Thakor and Koli Development Corporation. Each corporation serves a defined community, which is why the auto rickshaw loan appears in more than one place in Gujarat's welfare system: the Nigam serves Scheduled Caste applicants other than sanitation workers, while a parallel Passenger Auto-Rickshaw Loan listed on the e-Samaj Kalyan portal is run by the Gujarat Safai Kamdar Development Corporation for sanitation worker families. Applying to the wrong corporation is a common and avoidable rejection.

Where the scheme sits in the Nigam's loan menu

An applicant who wants a four-wheeler passenger vehicle or a jeep-taxi should apply under the four-wheeler category rather than this one, the same portal, the same login, a different scheme selection.

Who is eligible for the auto rickshaw loan?

You can apply if all of the following are true:

• You are an original resident of Gujarat.
• You belong to a Scheduled Caste community, other than sanitation worker categories financed by the Gujarat Safai Kamdar Development Corporation.
• You are 18 years of age or above.
• You are unemployed and intend to drive or operate the auto rickshaw as your own livelihood.
• Your total annual family income does not exceed Rs 3,00,000.
• You hold a valid driving licence on the date the scheme round is announced.
• You have either never taken a loan from the Nigam, or you have fully repaid any earlier Nigam loan.

You cannot apply if:

• You or a family member covered by the income declaration is in government or semi-government service.
• Your family income is above Rs 3,00,000 a year.
• You are below 18.
• You have an outstanding, unrepaid loan from Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam.
• You obtained your driving licence after the announcement date of the round. The licence must already have been valid on that date.
• You are not a Scheduled Caste resident of Gujarat. Other backward class, minority, nomadic and de-notified tribe, and unreserved applicants are not eligible here and should approach their own corporation; unreserved-class applicants, for example, have a Self-Employment Vehicle Loan through the Gujarat Unreserved Education and Economic Development Corporation.

The Nigam does not publish a separate education requirement for this scheme. The practical gate is the driving licence, not schooling.

What documents are required?

Scan every document as a clear, readable file before you start. The portal rejects unreadable uploads, and a re-upload after the closing date is not possible.

How to apply for the Passenger Auto Rickshaw Loan Scheme

1. Open the Nigam's loan portal at daadconline.gujarat.gov.in and read the current year's announcement, which states the schemes open and the closing date.
2. Register on the portal with your mobile number and create a login. Keep the user ID and password, you will need them again to check status.
3. Log in and select the auto rickshaw (three-wheeler) loan scheme from the list of the Nigam's schemes. Do not select the four-wheeler or general self-employment scheme by mistake.
4. Fill in the application form with your personal details, caste, family income, driving licence number and bank account details.
5. Upload the scanned documents and your photograph using the document upload option.
6. Review the filled form, then confirm and submit before the closing date. An application saved but not confirmed is not considered.
7. Print or save a copy of the submitted application for your own records — the portal specifically advises this.
8. Track progress under the application status option in the same login.

How to apply offline

Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam does not accept a paper application for this scheme; the route is online only. What you can do offline is get help:

1. Visit the district Social Defence / Nigam district office for your district and ask the staff to guide you through the online form.
2. Use a common service centre or e-Gram centre to fill and upload the form if you do not have a computer.
3. Carry original documents to the district office when called, so verification against the uploaded scans is done in one visit.

How much is the benefit and how is it paid?

The loan ceiling is Rs 3,00,000 or the actual cost of the three-wheeler, whichever is lower. Interest is charged at 4 per cent. The Nigam disburses the sanctioned amount towards the purchase of the vehicle rather than as free cash, and recovery is by instalments through the bank account you register.

Because this is a loan and not a grant, three things follow. First, repayment history matters. The Nigam explicitly bars a repeat loan while an earlier one is unpaid. Second, the vehicle is expected to be used for the applicant's own livelihood, not resold. Third, the concessional 4 per cent rate applies only for as long as the account stays regular.

How to check your application status

1. Log in at daadconline.gujarat.gov.in with your registered user ID.
2. Open the application status option.
3. If the status shows a document objection, use the upload documents option to replace the file, then confirm again.

Why applications get rejected, and how to avoid it

• No valid driving licence on the announcement date. The single most specific condition in this scheme.
• Income certificate above Rs 3,00,000, or an income certificate that has expired.
• Wrong corporation. A sanitation worker family applying to the Nigam instead of the Gujarat Safai Kamdar Development Corporation, or an OBC applicant applying here rather than to the Gujarat Backward Classes Development Corporation.
• Government or semi-government employment disclosed at verification.
• An earlier Nigam loan still outstanding.
• Application saved but never confirmed before the closing date.
• Unreadable document scans that cannot be matched to the originals.

Key dates

Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam runs an annual application window. The portal currently shows a closing date of 14 August 2026, 11:59 PM. Check the portal announcement each year rather than assuming the same date repeats.

Help and grievance redressal

• Dr. Ambedkar Antyodaya Vikas Nigam: +91 79 2325 6325
• Office address: Block No. 2, D-2 Wing, 4th Floor, Karmayogi Bhavan, Sector-10/B, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
• Department website: sje.gujarat.gov.in
• Loan portal: daadconline.gujarat.gov.in

Applying on the Nigam portal is free. No agent can guarantee a sanction, and no official will ask for your portal password or an OTP.