Government Schemes & Bodies

MeitY

In short

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology — a Government of India ministry that funds technology startups, with a particular focus on AI, cybersecurity, electronics, semiconductor design, and digital governance. MeitY administers schemes such as SAMRIDH (which provides funding up to ₹1 crore for IT product startups), the TIDE (Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs) scheme supporting 50+ incubators, and the Digital India R&D initiatives. MeitY grants are open to startups working on national-priority tech stacks, and the ministry runs challenge-based funding calls that combine equity-free grants with mentorship from government technology departments.

How It Works

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is a Government of India ministry that funds technology startups with a specific focus on electronics, IT, AI, cybersecurity, semiconductor design, and digital governance. MeitY administers several flagship programmes: SAMRIDH (Start-up Accelerator Programme of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development, and Growth) provides funding up to ₹1 crore for IT product startups through a network of accelerators; the TIDE (Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs) scheme supports 50+ incubators specialising in ICT, IoT, AI, and blockchain; and the Digital India R&D initiatives fund startups working on national-priority technology stacks like Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. MeitY grants are open to startups working on applied technology solutions that address national priorities. The ministry runs challenge-based funding calls that combine equity-free grants with mentorship from government technology departments and access to sandbox environments for testing with real government data. MeitY also supports the Electronics Development Fund (EDF) for semiconductor and electronics startups.

Application Process

1. Monitor MeitY's challenge-based funding calls on the Digital India portal and Startup India portal. 2. Prepare a proposal that clearly connects your technology solution to a national priority — digital governance, cybersecurity, AI for social good, or electronics manufacturing. 3. Demonstrate technical readiness — MeitY prefers startups with a working prototype or MVP. 4. For SAMRIDH, apply through one of MeitY's recognised accelerators. 5. For TIDE, connect with a TIDE-supported incubator near you. 6. Show scalability and replicability — MeitY funds solutions that can be deployed at scale across states or central government departments.

Real-World Example

An AI startup develops a natural language processing platform that can automatically translate government scheme documents from English into 12 Indian languages while preserving technical accuracy. The startup applies for a ₹75 lakh SAMRIDH grant through a MeitY-recognised accelerator. The proposal demonstrates a working prototype with 85% translation accuracy on a sample of 500 Pradhan Mantri Yojana documents. The MeitY review team sees potential for wide deployment across state government portals and awards the grant. The funds are used to improve accuracy to 95%, build a dashboard for government users, and pilot with three state government departments.

Key Takeaway

MeitY funding is ideal for startups building technology solutions that address national digital priorities. Challenge-based calls, SAMRIDH, and TIDE provide multiple entry points depending on your stage and technology focus.