Sat Feb 01 12:06:02 UTC 2025: ## India’s 2025-26 Union Budget Prioritizes Women’s Empowerment
**New Delhi, February 1, 2025** – The Indian Union Budget for 2025-26, presented on Saturday, prioritizes enhancing women’s financial independence and creating a supportive work environment. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a significant increase in funding for women and child development, with a total allocation of ₹26,889 crore (approximately $3.2 billion USD), up from ₹23,182 crore in the revised estimate for the previous year.
A key initiative is a new five-year scheme providing entrepreneurship loans of up to ₹2 crore (approximately $240,000 USD) to 500,000 women. This program aims to boost women’s participation in economic activities, with a stated goal of reaching 70% female participation. The scheme will draw on lessons learned from the successful Stand-Up India initiative and will include online capacity building for entrepreneurial and managerial skills.
Significant funding has also been allocated to nutritional support programs. Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, which benefit over eight crore children, one crore pregnant women and lactating mothers, and about 20 lakh adolescent girls, received ₹21,960 crore (approximately $2.6 billion USD). The cost norms for this program will be increased.
Other key initiatives include increased funding for Mission Vatsalya (child protection services) to ₹1,500 crore and Mission Shakti (women’s empowerment) to ₹3,150 crore. Mission Shakti’s components, Sambal (including Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and One Stop Centres) and Samarthya (including Swadhar Greh and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana), received ₹629 crore and ₹2,521 crore respectively.
The budget’s focus on women’s empowerment has been welcomed by women’s organizations and industry bodies. Ritvika Naidu, Director of Prabhu Naidu Limited, praised the government’s commitment to women-centric initiatives and the focus on supporting MSMEs, which she believes will create more jobs.
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