Do I have to take a bank loan to get a livestock or fishery subsidy, or can I get just the subsidy?

It depends on the scheme. Many of the larger entrepreneurship subsidies, like the National Livestock Mission route and the dairy entrepreneurship support through NABARD, are deliberately credit-linked, meaning the subsidy is released through the bank as a back-ended subsidy against a term loan, so you generally need a loan for those even if you could self-fund. The logic is that the subsidy sits against the loan and is adjusted later. On the other hand, some state animal husbandry and fishery schemes, and certain beneficiary-oriented PMMSY components, release the subsidy directly to your bank account after you complete and the department verifies the work, without compulsorily routing it through a loan, though you still fund the work first. So if you want to avoid a loan, ask your implementing department specifically which of the schemes you qualify for are non-loan-linked and pay the subsidy directly. Be clear that even direct-subsidy schemes are usually reimbursement style, so you pay for the unit first and get the subsidy after verification. Confirm the current structure with your State Animal Husbandry or Fisheries Department, since some farmers assume free upfront cash and then are surprised by the loan or reimbursement condition.