Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2026broadening the Nari Shakti vision with Rs 4.49 lakh crore women-centric schemes
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-2027 on Sunday, February 1, broadening the Nari Shakti vision with Rs 4.49 lakh crore women-centric schemes, a 37 per cent increase in gender-focused funding.
These are the key takeaways:
For safe and affordable accommodation for young girls and women studying or working in different cities, one girls’ hostel will be set up in every district in the country. The hostels will be built in collaboration with state governments and the private sector.
According to Sitharaman, India’s female enrollment constitutes 43 per cent of total enrollment in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses, which is one of the highest in the world. This high percentage is due to the government’s loan facilities and policy-driven financial support for youth.
Also, the female student enrollment in higher education has increased by 28 per cent over the last decade, the Finance Minister said.
Riding on last year’s success of the Lakhpati Didi Programme, with 3 crore women reaching an annual income of Rs 1 lakh, this year, the government targets 5 crore Lakhpati Didis.
