- By Imran Zafar
- Sat, 01 Feb 2025 03:48 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2025-26 in Parliament on February 1, highlighting several schemes aimed at empowering women. Centre stated that the budget, focused on inclusive growth, prioritises welfare measures for women alongside support for startups, entrepreneurs and MSMEs.
Here are some of the woman-centric schemes announced in the Union Budget 2025
Saksham Anganwadi And Poshan 2.0
The scheme continues to provide nutritional support to over eight crore children, one crore pregnant women and lactating mothers, and about 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the Northeast region.
Entrepreneurship Support For Women
A new initiative targets five lakh women, as well as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe first-time entrepreneurs. The scheme offers term loans of up to Rs 2 crore over the next five years, along with online capacity-building programs to enhance entrepreneurship and managerial skills.
Rs 3,150 Crore Allocation For Mission Shakti
The government has allocated Rs 3,150 crore to Mission Shakti, a scheme under the Women and Child Development Ministry for the empowerment, safety and security of women. Introduced in 2022, Mission Shakti operates under the 15th Finance Commission’s framework, covering 2021-26.
Other Benefits For Women
Women will also benefit from several broader budget measures, including:
Zero income tax for earnings up to ₹12 lakh
Expansion of the PM Swannidhi scheme
Increased credit limit for the Kisan Credit Card
National Manufacturing Mission
Growth in medical education opportunities
FM Sitharaman, in her eighth consecutive budget presentation, emphasised that the 2025-26 fiscal plan prioritises the poor, youth, farmers and women, envisioning comprehensive development over the next five years. The proposed reforms focus on 10 key areas to drive inclusive growth and ensure balanced regional progress.
