Grant of Subsidy for Procurement of Vehicle

What is the Grant of Subsidy for Procurement of Vehicle?

Grant of Subsidy for Procurement of Vehicle is a transport subsidy run by the Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Government of Puducherry. Launched in 2010, the subsidy sits as a sub-scheme under the umbrella scheme "Puducherry Development of Shore Based Facilities, Ice Plants, Service Unit, Infrastructural Facilities and Quick Transport Facilities".

The problem the scheme addresses is spoilage. Fish landed at Thengaithittu, Karaikal, Mahe or Yanam loses value quickly in the heat, and the gap between the landing centre and the retail market is where much of that value disappears. By paying half the cost of a suitable vehicle, the Department aims to make quick, chilled transport affordable to individual fishermen and fish vendors rather than leaving it to a handful of traders with capital.

The scheme is deliberately tiered. A vendor who carries a headload today can step up to a moped with an insulated ice-box for a Rs 15,000 subsidy, while an established operator can buy an insulated fish van of 5 to 10 tonnes with a subsidy of up to Rs 5,00,000. The same scheme also carries a small annual grant towards engine spares for boats.

How much subsidy does the vehicle scheme pay?

According to the Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, the pattern of assistance is a flat 50% subsidy with a ceiling that varies by vehicle:

The mode of disbursement matters. The Department releases the subsidy to the bank, where it is credited against the account of the beneficiary for whom the loan was sanctioned. In practice the fisherman takes a vehicle loan for the full cost, and the government subsidy knocks roughly half of it off the outstanding principal once the purchase is verified. Nobody receives a cash cheque.

The engine spares component is the only part of the scheme that recurs. At Rs 2,000 per boat per annum it is small, but it is claimable every year for a registered boat rather than once in a lifetime.

Who is eligible for the vehicle subsidy?

You can apply if:

• You belong to the fishermen's community and are a resident of the Union Territory of Puducherry by domicile or by birth.
• You are not less than 18 and not more than 50 years of age.
• You are a member of a Fishermen Cooperative Society with no overdue amount standing against you with the society or the Department.
• You hold a driving licence issued by the Transport Authority for driving the moped, auto goods carrier or transport vehicle you intend to buy.

You cannot apply if:

• You have already availed a loan or subsidy under this scheme for the same purpose.
• You are employed in Government, a Government undertaking or a society, whether on a regular, part-time or temporary basis.
• You have any overdue with the Fishermen Cooperative Society or the Department.
• You are under 18 or over 50 on the date of application.
• You are not a resident of Puducherry by domicile or birth.

A person outside the fishermen's community is not eligible, even if they trade in fish. This distinguishes the vehicle subsidy from the marine fisheries subsidy components, which extend to full-time fish traders and prospective entrepreneurs.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the vehicle subsidy

1. Visit the Department office. Go to the Directorate of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare at the Fishing Harbour Complex, Thengaithittu, Mudaliarpet Post, Puducherry 605 004, or the regional sub-office covering Karaikal, Mahe or Yanam, and ask for the prescribed application form for subsidies.
2. Get your bank loan sanctioned for the vehicle you intend to buy, and obtain the sanction order. Attach the dealer's quotation, which must match the vehicle category and tonnage you are claiming under.
3. Complete the form. Fill in every mandatory field, paste the passport-sized photograph and sign across it where required, and attach self-attested copies of the driving licence, society membership proof, residence proof and the loan documents.
4. Submit the form and enclosures to the concerned authority at the same office, and ask for a dated acknowledgement showing the date and time of submission and a unique identification number.
5. Cooperate with the field inquiry. An officer of the Department verifies the claim on the ground before the file goes to the Selection Committee.
6. Buy the vehicle after sanction and produce the evidence within 60 days. Submit the purchase invoice, RC book and mortgage documents for verification inside that window, or the sanction can lapse.

How is the beneficiary selected?

Applications are shortlisted by a Departmental Selection Committee headed by the Director of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare. Before the committee sits, an officer of the Department conducts a field inquiry to confirm that the applicant is a working member of the fishermen's community, holds the stated society membership, and has no overdue. The implementing officer, normally an Assistant Director or Deputy Director of Fisheries, records the verification and the recommendation.

Because allocation for the scheme is limited each year and the subsidy ceilings are large at the upper end, the number of insulated fish vans sanctioned in a year is small. Applicants for the lower-cost items, mopeds with ice-boxes and auto goods carriers, generally face a shorter wait.

How do I check the status of my application?

Quote the unique identification number on your acknowledgement and follow up at the office where you submitted the form. The Department maintains an application receipt register at each office; there is no dedicated online tracker for this component. Where the application was routed through the Puducherry e-District portal at edistrict.py.gov.in, the application number issued by the portal can be used on its Track Application page.

Why applications get rejected, and how to fix them

• No driving licence of the right class. A licence for a two-wheeler does not support a claim for a mini lorry. Get the correct class endorsed before applying.
• Overdue with the society or Department. Clear the arrears first; the field inquiry checks this directly.
• Age above 50. This scheme's upper limit is 50, lower than the 60-year ceiling used in the marine fisheries subsidy components. Applicants often assume the higher limit and are rejected.
• Repeat claim for the same purpose. One subsidy per purpose is the rule.
• Evidence of purchase not produced within 60 days. Diarise the deadline from the invoice date.
• Vehicle bought differs from the vehicle sanctioned. The RC book is checked against the sanction; buying a bigger or different vehicle does not automatically raise the subsidy.

Once the Selection Committee has completed shortlisting, the scheme does not specify a reconsideration mechanism, so a rejected applicant should correct the defect and apply afresh in the next round.

Where to raise a grievance

Contact the Directorate of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Fishing Harbour Complex, Thengaithittu, Mudaliarpet Post, Puducherry 605 004, telephone 0413-2357761, email fish[dot]pon[at]nic[dot]in. Applicants in Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam should first approach their regional sub-office, whose addresses are listed on the Sub-Offices page of fisheries.py.gov.in.

There is no fee for the application form. The subsidy is credited to a bank loan account and never paid in cash, so any person offering to "release" the money for a commission is not acting for the Department.