Is there a fee to apply for subsidies and how do I avoid agents who overcharge?

Applying on the official government portal is essentially free, there is no large official fee to submit a subsidy application. The only legitimate small charge is a CSC or common service centre service fee of a few tens of rupees for typing and uploading if you cannot do it yourself, that is it. Any agent demanding a big amount or a cut of your subsidy, or promising to guarantee selection in a lottery, is overcharging or misleading you, because no one can guarantee a random draw and the subsidy slab is fixed by rule, not by an agent. To avoid being overcharged: learn the simple application flow and do it yourself or through a CSC, never hand over your Aadhaar OTP or bank credentials to anyone, and never agree to share the subsidy money. If an agent must help, fix a small flat fee in advance and keep all original documents and the application number with you. If anyone asks for a bribe to clear your file, that is corruption you can report to the department. Verify everything against the official scheme page on your state portal rather than trusting an agent's word.