Stand Up India Scheme was launched on 5th April 2016 to promote entrepreneurship at the grassroots level focusing on economic empowerment and job creation. This scheme has been extended up to the year 2025.

Recognizing the challenges that energetic, enthusiastic, and aspiring SC, ST, and women entrepreneurs may face many challenges in converting their dream to reality, Stand-Up India was launched to promote entrepreneurship amongst women, Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories, to help them in starting a greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or the trading sector and activities allied to agriculture.

On the occasion, Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said, “It is a matter of pride and satisfaction for me to note that more than 1.8 lakh women and SC/ST entrepreneurs have been sanctioned loans for more than Rs. 40,600 crores.”

“The scheme has created an eco-system which facilitates and continues to provide a supportive environment for setting up green field enterprises through access to loans from bank branches of all Scheduled Commercial Banks. Stand-Up India Scheme has proved to be an important milestone in promoting entrepreneurship among SC, ST and women,” the Finance Minister said.