1 November 2026 • 5 min read
A Mission with a ₹19,744 crore outlay looks like a pot a seed-stage company can tap. Most of that money is not set up that way. The big incentive programme, SIGHT, is a bidding scheme for factories and plants. A startup's openings are narrower and sit in other parts of the Mission. This page separates the two, using PIB releases, the SECI bid documents and a law-firm note on the guidelines.
The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission on 4 January 2023. PIB gave the initial outlay as ₹19,744 crore, divided as follows.
| Part | Outlay | What it funds |
|---|---|---|
| SIGHT programme | ₹17,490 crore | Incentives for making electrolysers in India and for producing green hydrogen |
| Pilot projects | ₹1,466 crore | Trials in new end-use sectors and production routes |
| R&D | ₹400 crore | Research projects, including the public-private SHIP partnership |
| Other components | ₹388 crore | Enabling work such as standards and skills |
A PIB note of November 2025 says the outlay runs until financial year 2029-30. It also puts the 2030 targets at 5 million metric tonnes a year of green hydrogen production capacity, backed by about 125 GW of new renewable energy.
SIGHT's first part rewards companies that set up electrolyser factories in India. A Khaitan & Co note of 12 August 2024 summarises the rules, which MNRE issued in letters dated 28 June 2023 and 16 March 2024. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) runs the bids.
Khaitan notes that the lower net worth threshold in Tranche II "paves the way for smaller manufacturing entities and nascent start-ups". The sources I opened do not give the threshold figures. If you make electrolyser stacks, read the current SECI bid document before you plan.
The second part pays for green hydrogen production, and PIB describes companies being allocated annual production capacity. PIB reports that as of May 2025, 19 companies had been allocated 862,000 tonnes a year of green hydrogen production capacity and 15 firms had been awarded 3,000 MW a year of electrolyser manufacturing capacity. I could not open the production-incentive guidelines, so I do not give their rates or bid rules here.
A rule that applies to anyone who takes an incentive: under the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India, launched in April 2025, a Final Certificate is mandatory for a production facility that receives central or state subsidies or incentives, or that sells or uses the hydrogen in India. Hydrogen counts as green if emissions are not more than 2 kg of CO2 equivalent per 1 kg of hydrogen. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency accredits the certifying agencies.
| Route | Fit for a startup | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Start-up call for proposals | Direct | PIB says a ₹100 crore call supports start-ups working on hydrogen production, storage, transport and use, with funding of up to ₹5 crore per project |
| R&D scheme and SHIP | Direct or in a consortium | The ₹400 crore R&D scheme was already funding 23 projects by November 2025; a second round opened in July 2025 |
| SIGHT electrolyser bid | Only with a stack and net worth to match | Smaller-unit bucket in Tranche II; net worth test applies |
| SIGHT production bid | Unlikely for most startups (our reading) | Allocations so far went to companies building production capacity |
| Pilot projects | Usually as a technology partner | Examples in PIB: steel, mobility and shipping pilots |
On the start-up call, a trade report dated 16 September 2025 says the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) issued the call and that each start-up can receive up to ₹5 crore or 80% of equipment costs, whichever is lower. That is a secondary source. I could not confirm whether the call is still open or find the eligibility rules, so check the NISE and Mission portals before you plan around it.
These schemes change by tranche and call, so confirm current terms with MNRE or SECI before you commit capital.
Yes in principle, in the electrolyser manufacturing part, if it meets the net worth test for the capacity it bids for. Tranche II added a bucket for smaller units and a lower threshold. Most startups will find the start-up call or the R&D scheme a better fit.
₹17,490 crore of the Mission's ₹19,744 crore outlay, running to financial year 2029-30.
A call for proposals for start-ups working on hydrogen production, storage, transport and utilisation, with funding of up to ₹5 crore per project, according to PIB in November 2025. Check the portals for whether it is open now.
If your facility receives subsidies or incentives from the central or state governments, or sells or uses the hydrogen in India, a Final Certificate under the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme is mandatory.