Founder guide · Tricity

Startup grants in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh (2026)

Updated 30 October 2026By Saksham Agarwal4 min read

Short answer

It depends on where your startup is registered, not where you live. Haryana offers a seed grant of up to ₹10 lakh (Haryana scheme). Chandigarh offers idea grants of ₹1–2 lakh, seed grants of up to ₹7 lakh and early-growth grants of up to ₹12 lakh (Chandigarh policy). Punjab offered a seed grant of up to ₹3 lakh under its 2022 policy (Startup India) and notified a new industrial policy on 8 March 2026 (notification). Haryana and Chandigarh both require DPIIT recognition. All of them are competitive.

Your registered office decides which state you can claim from

The Tricity is three governments in one city. A founder can live in Chandigarh, work from Mohali and sell to Panchkula, but each state’s scheme looks at where the startup is registered:

Haryana needs the startup’s registered office in Haryana, registration with Startup Haryana as a “Category 1” startup, DPIIT recognition and a Haryana Udyam Memorandum (Haryana scheme).
Chandigarh needs the startup to be registered or incorporated in Chandigarh, or GST-registered in the Chandigarh Commissionerate, and DPIIT-recognised (Chandigarh policy).
Punjab registers startups through its Business First portal, with Startup Punjab as the state’s startup agency (india.gov.in).

You can’t stack states. Haryana’s seed scheme excludes a startup that has received similar incentives under another state’s policy (Haryana scheme). Decide where to register with the incentives in mind, before you incorporate.

Haryana (for Panchkula founders)

Incentive	What you get	Conditions
Seed grant	Up to ₹10 lakh, paid 50% / 40% / 10% in three tranches	Category 1 startup with Startup Haryana, DPIIT-recognised, registered office in Haryana, at least 60% on the evaluation criteria
Lease rental	30% of rent reimbursed (45% if all founders are women), up to ₹5 lakh, for one year	Space in a registered incubator, notified IT park, approved industrial estate or SEZ in Haryana

Sources: Haryana Startup Seed Funding Scheme and Startup Lease Rental Scheme.

Both schemes run until 6 July 2027, under the Haryana State Startup Policy 2022, unless the state extends or changes them (Haryana scheme).

Chandigarh

The Chandigarh Start-up Policy 2025 was notified in April 2025 and runs for five years. Startups apply online through a parent incubator on the Start-In Chandigarh portal (Chandigarh policy).

Stage	Grant	How many a year
Idea	₹2 lakh for the top 20, ₹1 lakh for the next 50, plus a year of incubation	70
Seed / MVP	Up to ₹7 lakh	20
Early growth / commercialisation	Up to ₹12 lakh	20
Women-led or transgender-led	₹2 lakh more at the seed and early-growth stages
Rent	₹5,000 a month for up to 12 months, in preferred workplaces
Patents	80% of filing costs or ₹10,000, whichever is lower

Source: Chandigarh Start-up Policy 2025.

Claims for reimbursement have to be filed within three months of the expense, and money is paid through the parent incubator (Chandigarh policy).

Punjab (for Mohali founders)

Under the Industrial and Business Development Policy 2022, with Startup Punjab as the nodal agency, Punjab listed these startup incentives (Startup India state report):

A seed grant of up to ₹3 lakh per startup.
25% of lease rent reimbursed for one year, up to ₹3 lakh, for startups in incubators, IT parks or industrial clusters.
An interest subsidy of 8% a year for five years, up to ₹5 lakh a year, on loans from banks and financial institutions.
100% reimbursement of stamp duty on registering the MoA and AoA.
A Punjab Innovation Fund with a corpus of ₹150 crore for venture capital.

Check before you plan around these. Punjab notified a new Industrial and Business Development Policy, 2026 on 8 March 2026 (notification). Confirm the current startup incentives and amounts with Startup Punjab or Invest Punjab before you apply.

How big each ecosystem is

As of 31 October 2024, DPIIT had recognised 7,961 startups in Haryana, 1,672 in Punjab and 521 in Chandigarh, out of 1,52,139 across India (Lok Sabha answer, 17 December 2024).

Central schemes apply wherever you register

DPIIT recognition, the credit guarantee for startup loans and funds backed by the Fund of Funds work the same in all three. The central Seed Fund stopped taking new applications on 31 May 2026. See grant, loan or equity and the Seed Fund in 2026.

Where LABH fits

We are in Sector 74, Mohali, and meet Tricity founders in person (how we work across the Tricity). In the Structure week we look at where your startup should be registered, and your Funding Opportunity Map checks your state’s actual rules against the official source in the week we write it. We don’t file applications or sit on committees, and we don’t promise grants.

Questions founders ask

Can a Mohali startup claim Chandigarh’s startup grants?

Only if it meets Chandigarh’s rule: the startup must be registered or incorporated in Chandigarh, or GST-registered in the Chandigarh Commissionerate, and DPIIT-recognised. Living or working in Chandigarh is not enough.

How much is Haryana’s startup seed grant?

Up to ₹10 lakh per startup, paid in three tranches of 50%, 40% and 10%, for Category 1 startups registered with Startup Haryana that are DPIIT-recognised and have their registered office in Haryana. The scheme runs until 6 July 2027.

Does Chandigarh have a startup policy?

Yes. The Chandigarh Start-up Policy 2025 was notified in April 2025 and runs for five years. It offers idea grants of ₹1–2 lakh, seed grants of up to ₹7 lakh and early-growth grants of up to ₹12 lakh, applied for through a parent incubator.

Can I claim startup incentives from two states?

Generally no. Haryana’s seed scheme, for example, excludes startups that have received similar incentives under another state’s policy. Choose where to register with this in mind.

Not sure where your startup stands?

The Startup Diagnostic scores your venture across nine dimensions in one week, with a five-page report and a 45-minute call. ₹4,999 + GST. The first 25-minute call is free.

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Saksham Agarwal is the founder of LABH Advisory in Mohali, a Registered Mentor on BHASKAR (Startup India’s national registry, run by DPIIT) and a member of TiE Chandigarh. LinkedIn

Sources

Checked against these official sources on 30 October 2026. Schemes change, so check the source before you apply.