Page 30 - NIS English 16-28 Feb, 2026

COVER STORY BUDGET
UNION

2026-27

Women

Ongoing efforts

to educate

The central government is continuously
working towards empowering women by
educating and enriching them. In this regard,
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made
several important announcements related
to women in the budget. This will directly
benefit half of the country’s population. This
year’s budget prioritises a modern system of
women-led and women-operated self-help
groups, aiming to ensure that prosperity
reaches every household…

Women’s Hostels
The central government has decided to
construct girls’ hostels in every district of
the country. This initiative is a milestone in
strengthening gender equality, safety, and
empowerment in the field of education.

Self-Help Entrepreneur Budget allocation for gender equality
‘SHE-Mart’ Initiative

n Building on the success of the Lakhpati Didi
Yojana, the budget includes provisions for the
Self-Help Entrepreneur ‘SHE Mart’ initiative.
n The objective of this initiative is to enable women 8.86% 9.37%
engaged in animal husbandry, agriculture-related
activities, and other occupations to move beyond
mere livelihood and become entrepreneurs.
2025-26 2026-27
n Community-owned retail outlets will be established
in every district as a platform for selling women’s The Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for
products, providing a new market for products 2026-27 allocates five lakh crore rupees for
made by self-help groups and rural women. the welfare of women and girls, which is

n The launch of the She-Mark badge will also 11.36 percent more than the 4.49 lakh crore
ensure easy financing facilities for women. rupees allocated in 2025-26.

28 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || February 16-28, 2026