Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana: Assistance for Raising Capital through SME Exchange

The Industries and Mines Department, Gujarat, runs the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyog Uday Yojana, an umbrella scheme aimed at strengthening the state's MSME sector. It remains in force from 7 August 2020 to 6 August 2025. The scheme is intended to assist SC/ST entrepreneurs, raise their share in employment, GDP and exports, and improve their ability to compete globally.

One component of the scheme, "Assistance for Raising Capital through SME Exchange", deals with a specific difficulty that growing MSMEs encounter: obtaining funds from public capital markets. Financial assistance is offered to offset a substantial part of the cost of listing on SME Exchanges, with the aim of making equity capital easier to raise. Enterprises that qualify are encouraged to look at funding routes other than debt, which supports greater financial independence and sustainability.

Such support matters for SC/ST-led businesses that wish to scale, innovate and expand. It also contributes to a more inclusive and active economic ecosystem in Gujarat. By encouraging public listing, the initiative indirectly promotes transparency and good corporate governance, and opens the way to further investment and growth.

Applications for the Assistance for Raising Capital through SME Exchange component are submitted wholly online through the Gujarat Government's Investor Facilitation Portal (IFP). The steps are as follows:

1. Create a new investor account on the portal. Go to the "New Investor Registration" section, complete the detailed registration form with all the personal and business particulars sought, and submit it. 2. Verify your email address. A link is sent to the email address you registered; click it to activate the account. This step is compulsory. 3. Log in to your IFP account with your credentials. 4. Once inside the portal, enter the details specific to your enterprise, upload every mandatory supporting document concerning your SME Exchange listing and the expenditure incurred, and submit the application for financial assistance.

The portal handles the whole application lifecycle, from first registration through to final submission.

Applications submitted via the Investor Facilitation Portal are examined by officials of the concerned department. This is a verification and eligibility exercise, not a competitive selection. Assessment rests on three things: whether the applicant qualifies as an SC/ST-led Micro, Small or Medium Enterprise; whether its equity capital raising through an SME Exchange is confirmed; and whether the application was filed within one year of the listing date.

The expenditure heads for which financial assistance is claimed are then checked in detail against the supporting documents, to establish that they are genuine and consistent with the scheme guidelines. Only enterprises that clear these checks — and that have completed the SME Exchange listing process — are granted the financial support provided under the scheme.