DST NIDHI PRAYAS

The NIDHI PRAYAS (Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring technology entrepreneurs) scheme supports hardware innovators with up to ₹10 Lakhs to build a physical product prototype. PRAYAS funding is delivered through a national network of DST-approved PRAYAS Centres and Advance PRAYAS Centres (APCs), with standard centres typically supporting up to ₹10-20 lakh per project and APCs offering up to ₹40 lakh for deeper-tech hardware builds; funds are released in milestone-linked tranches over an 18-month prototyping window. Several PRAYAS Centres also operate PRAYAS Shalas — shared fab-lab style facilities for mechanical and digital fabrication — so applicants get physical workspace and technical mentoring alongside the grant itself, not just cash disbursement.