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.

The Budget proposes to set up Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts, which, according to Sitharaman, will be community-owned retail outlets. It will help women, mainly in rural areas, access innovative financing through credit-led livelihoods to become enterprise owners.

The Budget aims to strengthen women working in the fisheries sector by setting up women-led start-ups and Fish Farmers Producer Organisations to enable better market access.

In an attempt to encourage young women entering the workforce, the government announced to provide Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) to first-time employees. This will align with the newly proposed “Education to Employment and Enterprise” Standing Committee, which seeks to optimise growth and job creation in the services sector.

Under the Mudra Yojana, lakhs of rural women received successful loan disbursals, enabling them to start their own small-scale businesses.

Sitharaman informed the House that over 70 per cent of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) are registered in the name of women, either as sole or joint owners, offering long-term financial security.

The government’s stated economic vision is to ensure that the dividends of growth reach women as a key demographic for national development.

Around 1.5 lakh multiskilled caregivers will be provided training in wellness, yoga, and the operation of medical devices in the coming year. These trainings will be provided under the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), creating jobs for women.

A dedicated nationwide program will soon be set up to provide cervical cancer vaccinations for girls aged between nine and 14.

The Budget plans to establish creches near workplaces to support working mothers.

Union Minister said the government plans to bring all existing schemes for mothers under one comprehensive program to improve service delivery.

With the government allocation of a massive Rs 10,000 crore under the Biopharma SHAKTI initiative, biologic medicines for non-communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes, which have a direct link to maternal and family health, will become more affordable.

The government proposes a new digital platform called U-WIN, which will manage and track immunisations for mothers and children. The platform will cover over 2.5 crore pregnant women and 2.5 crore children annually, mirroring the success of Co-WIN.

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