New Delhi [India], February 1 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament on Sunday, focused on boosting women entrepreneurship and strengthening women-led livelihoods across the country.
She announced that Self Help Entrepreneurs (SHE) would be set up as community-owned retail outlets for women. The initiative aims to strengthen grassroots entrepreneurship by enabling women-led self-help groups to run local retail networks, improve market access for women-made products, and create sustainable livelihood opportunities at the community level.
Highlighting a shift in the government’s approach, Sitharaman said the proposals build on the success of the Lakpati Didi Programme, which has already helped millions of women through self-help groups. She noted that the focus has moved beyond providing small loans to supporting women in scaling up as enterprise owners.
“The goal is to help women take the next step from credit-linked livelihoods to becoming owners of enterprises,” the Finance Minister said, signalling a transition from women being beneficiaries to decision-makers and stakeholders in the supply chain.
As part of this effort, the Budget introduced the concept of dedicated “SHE” branding and infrastructure. Sitharaman said Self Help Entrepreneurs would be established as community-owned retail outlets within cluster-level federations, providing professionally managed spaces for rural and women-made products to compete with mainstream brands.
Acknowledging the need for specialised capital, the Finance Minister said these enterprises would be supported through enhanced and innovative financing instruments, going beyond traditional bank loans to provide stronger financial backing.
Separately, FM Sitharaman announced that a girls’ hostel would be built in every district of the country to strengthen the higher education ecosystem and support women students, particularly in science and technology disciplines.
While presenting the Budget, she said the government proposes multiple steps towards setting up new institutes, university townships, girls’ hostels, and telescope infrastructure facilities as part of increased investment in higher education.
Highlighting challenges faced by women students in STEM institutions, Sitharaman said prolonged hours of study and laboratory work often pose difficulties. The proposed hostels would ensure safe and accessible accommodation, improving enrolment and retention in advanced scientific disciplines, including astrophysics and astronomy.
The Finance Minister also announced the setting up of community-owned ‘She MARTS’, which will function as self-help entrepreneur marts within cluster-level federations. These marts aim to provide better market access, branding opportunities, and sustainable income avenues for women entrepreneurs.
Sitharaman outlined six major focus areas of the Budget, including scaling up manufacturing in strategic sectors, rejuvenating legacy industries, creating champion MSMEs, pushing infrastructure growth, ensuring long-term economic stability, and developing city economic regions.
She also laid two statements before the House under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003 — the Medium-term Fiscal Policy-cum-Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and the Macro-Economic Framework Statement.
Earlier, the Finance Minister had tabled the Economic Survey of India for 2025–26 in Parliament. The Budget session will span 30 sittings over 65 days and conclude on April 2, with a recess from February 13 to March 9 for examination of Demands for Grants by Standing Committees. (ANI)
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