As the budget presentation approaches, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to unveil her seventh consecutive budget in Parliament today at 11 am. With a strong track record of focusing on women’s issues in past budgets, expectations are high for what this year’s budget will offer.
Women’s aspirations from Budget 2024 are currently a hot topic. The budget presentation is expected to clarify these expectations, but as we await the announcement, it’s useful to review key initiatives and allocations from previous budgets under Sitharaman’s leadership:
Budget 2019-20: The government introduced several measures to boost women’s economic participation, including the Stand UP India scheme, the Mudra Yojana, and the expansion of the Self-Help Group (SHG) program nationwide.
Budget 2020-21: This budget saw the “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” scheme highlighted for its success, evidenced by increased girl student enrollment. The Poshan Abhiyan was launched to enhance nutrition among children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, and smartphones were provided to six lakh Anganwadi workers to track nutritional data for over 10 crore households.
Budget 2021-22: The introduction of Mission Poshan 2.0 aimed to integrate the Nutrition Programme with the Poshan Abhiyan, while the Ujjwala scheme’s coverage was set to expand by one crore additional beneficiaries.
Budget 2022-23: This budget restructured the Ministry of Women & Child Development’s schemes to enhance collective benefits for women and children. It introduced Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, and Saksham Anganwadi, with improvements made to the infrastructure of two lakh Anganwadis, including upgrades with audio-visual aids.
Budget 2023-24: Economic empowerment of women was a focal point, with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihood Mission mobilizing 81 lakh rural women into Self Help Groups, with plans to scale these groups into large enterprises.
Interim Budget 2024: The finance minister emphasized notable progress in women’s empowerment over the past decade, including around 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans extended to women entrepreneurs, increased female enrollment in STEM and higher education, a rise in women’s labor force participation, and a significant portion of PM Awas Yojana homes being jointly or solely owned by women. Additionally, a reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies was introduced.
As the budget presentation unfolds, all eyes will be on how these ongoing efforts will be built upon and what new initiatives will be introduced to further support and empower women across India.