A District Industries Centre (DIC) is a district-level office of the state industries department. It supports small and micro businesses in its district with registration help, loan schemes such as PMEGP and state subsidies, all through one local desk.
DIC registration used to mean filing an Entrepreneur Memorandum (EM-I or EM-II) with that office. Udyam has since replaced it with a single online registration you file yourself, free of cost, on the official government portal.
Below, you will find what the DIC still does, who needs to deal with it, how to register on Udyam and what to do with an old certificate.
You will also see when the district office still matters for PMEGP and state subsidies.
Does a DIC registration certificate still exist after Udyam
No. There is no separate DIC registration certificate to apply for now.
Udyam Registration is the one registration for micro, small and medium enterprises, and the certificate you get from it is the proof banks, buyers and government offices ask for.
The change happened in two steps. Udyog Aadhaar replaced the EM-I and EM-II filings, and Udyam later replaced Udyog Aadhaar. Each step moved the filing away from the district office and onto a self-declaration made online.
- Cost: Udyam is free. No fee is payable to the government, to the DIC or to anyone else for the registration itself.
- Where: only the official Udyam portal counts. No other website, app or private agency is authorised to register you.
- Renewal: there is none. One Udyam registration covers the enterprise for as long as it runs.
- Old holders: anyone with an EM-II or Udyog Aadhaar must register again on Udyam.
If you are a sole proprietor or freelancer, the registration is made in your own name using your Aadhaar. The wider picture of what it unlocks sits in the MSME registration guide.
What a District Industries Centre (DIC) does today
A District Industries Centre is the state industries department office for your district. The programme began on 1 May 1978 to give small units one local place to get support, rather than chasing several departments.
Today its role is help, not issuing a certificate.
- Udyam help: the DIC and single-window help desks can guide you through a Udyam filing if you get stuck.
- PMEGP: it is one of the agencies that processes PMEGP loan applications and passes them to the bank.
- State schemes: many states route capital, interest or power subsidies for small units through it.
- Local guidance: it is the place to ask which state scheme fits your business and what it needs.
District Industries Centre websites by state
India has more than 700 districts, so the simplest route is your state's official list of district centres. These state pages list each DIC with its address and contact details:
- Tamil Nadu: List of District Industries Centres, Department of MSME
- Kerala: District Industries Centres, Directorate of Industries and Commerce
- Gujarat: District Industries Centre contacts, Industries Commissionerate
- West Bengal: West Bengal DIC list
- Rajasthan: District Industries Centres list, Department of Industries
If you are in another state, you can find your DIC through the state industries department website, which usually lists district offices under its contact section.
Which businesses still need to deal with the DIC
Most owners never need to visit. Whether DIC registration still applies to you depends on what you are trying to get done, so find your own case below.
| Your situation | Do you need the DIC? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You only want MSME status for invoices, banks or buyers | No | Register on the official Udyam portal yourself, free |
| You want a PMEGP loan to start a new unit | Yes, it is one of the agencies that handles it | Apply under PMEGP and choose the DIC as your agency where offered |
| You want a state capital or interest subsidy | Often, as the local desk | Ask your DIC which state scheme fits and what it needs |
| You hold an old EM-I, EM-II or DIC certificate | No, for the certificate itself | Register again on Udyam to keep MSME status |
| You are stuck on the Udyam form | Optional | The DIC or a single-window help desk can guide you |
How to register online on the Udyam portal instead of the DIC
Registering for a DIC online now means registering on Udyam. The steps below are the general flow on the official portal, and they take one sitting for most small businesses. For screen-by-screen help, see the full Udyam registration guide.
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open the official Udyam registration portal and choose the option for new entrepreneurs not yet registered |
| 2 | Enter the Aadhaar number of the proprietor (or of the authorised signatory for other business types) and verify it with the OTP |
| 3 | Fill in the business details the portal asks for, such as PAN, business name, address, district and activity |
| 4 | Submit the self-declaration and complete any verification the portal asks for |
| 5 | Note your Udyam Registration Number and download the certificate once it is issued |
One enterprise gets one Udyam registration. A sole proprietor files once, under their own Aadhaar, even if the business has more than one activity.
Documents required for Udyam registration
Udyam is a self-declaration, so no documents are uploaded. You only need these details to hand:
- Aadhaar: of the proprietor, managing partner, karta of an HUF or the authorised signatory of a company or LLP.
- PAN: of the business, or of the proprietor for a sole proprietorship.
- GSTIN: where the business is registered under GST.
- Business details: name, address and activity, plus any bank account details the form asks for.
The MSME registration documents guide covers each item by business type.
Benefits of DIC registration through Udyam for small businesses
The benefits now come from Udyam, not a district certificate. At a summary level, they are:
- Recognised MSME proof: the Udyam certificate is what banks, buyers and government offices ask for.
- No cost or renewal: registration is free and one filing covers the enterprise for as long as it runs.
- Access to support schemes: it helps when you apply for schemes such as PMEGP and state subsidies through your DIC.
- Current classification: your enterprise is sorted as micro, small or medium by today's investment and turnover limits.
What to do with an old EM-I, EM-II or DIC certificate
An EM-I only recorded a plan to start a business, and an EM-II recorded that it had started. Neither one counts as MSME proof on its own today, and the same goes for the older DIC certificate issued against them.
The fix is simple: register on Udyam as a new entrepreneur. If you hold a Udyog Aadhaar instead, the Udyog Aadhaar to Udyam guide explains the move.
People often look for a DIC certificate download, but there is no menu for an EM-II on the Udyam portal.
The portal does let you print a Udyam certificate, and it keeps a separate option to verify and print an old Udyog Aadhaar certificate.
If you already have Udyam, the Udyam certificate download guide shows how to get a fresh copy.
When the DIC still matters: PMEGP and state subsidies
The DIC earns its place for owners who want money, not just a registration. One of its biggest jobs is the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme, a credit-linked subsidy scheme for new micro units.
KVIC is the national nodal agency for PMEGP. The scheme is run on the ground by state KVIC offices, Khadi and Village Industries Boards and District Industries Centres, while the bank sanctions the loan and pays the subsidy.
- Project cost limit: up to Rs 50 lakh for a manufacturing unit and up to Rs 20 lakh for a service unit.
- Your role: apply online under PMEGP, pick an agency, then attend the steps the agency and bank ask for.
- The DIC role: it is one of the agencies that processes the application and passes it to the bank.
State subsidies work in a similar way, and the rules differ a lot by state. Your DIC office is the place to confirm which scheme fits your business and what it needs before you apply.
How Xflow helps businesses registered via the DIC or Udyam get paid from abroad
Once your business is registered, payments from overseas clients are the next practical step for many freelancers and small exporters. With Xflow, a cross-border payments platform, Indian businesses can receive these export earnings.
- Currencies: it supports receiving in 25+ currencies.
- Senders: clients can pay in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, AED or SGD.
- Payout: the money reaches your Indian bank account in INR within 1 business day.
- Paperwork: an eFIRA is issued for each payment as proof of the inward remittance.
Is DIC registration still worth thinking about
DIC registration as a separate certificate is gone, and Udyam is the free, online replacement you file yourself. The District Industries Centre still matters as a local help desk, especially for PMEGP and state subsidies.
If you hold an old EM-II or Udyog Aadhaar, register again on Udyam.
Frequently asked questions
There is no fee. The registration that replaced it, Udyam, is free on the official portal, and no agent or website is authorised to charge for it.
There is no separate DIC certificate for MSME status now. The Udyam certificate is the one recognised proof for micro, small and medium enterprises.
The proprietor's Aadhaar is the starting point. The portal then asks for details such as PAN, GSTIN where it applies, name, address and activity, with no uploads.
Yes. A sole proprietor registers under their own Aadhaar, and one registration covers the business.
Not as MSME proof. Holders of EM-II or Udyog Aadhaar need to register again on Udyam.
Only if you want help with the form or are applying for PMEGP or a state subsidy. A plain Udyam registration is done online without a visit.
DIC registration was the old district-level filing of EM-I or EM-II. Udyam is the current single online registration that replaced it.
