Budget 2024: The Union Budget 2024 placed special emphasis on women-led development schemes. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced ₹3 lakh crore allocations for schemes to promote women-led development. The Finance Minister also announced the setting up of working women's hostels and creches to boost female participation in the workforce. The government has also increased budget allocations for certain schemes related to women's empowerment and safety.
Here are key announcements in the Union Budget 2024 that will benefit women.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced a budget allocation of more than ₹3 lakh crore for schemes and policies benefitting women and girls.
The government will boost women's workforce participation by organising women-specific skilling programmes and promoting market access for women's SHG enterprises.
The Finance Minister has allocated ₹500 crore for Namo Drone Didi. The initiative aims to provide 15,000 selected women self-help groups (SHGs) with drones from 2023-24 to 2025-2026 for rental services to farmers.
The FM also urged state governments to reduce stamp duty charges for properties purchased by women. FM Sitharaman also mentioned that this reform will be made an essential part of urban development schemes.
“We will encourage states which continue to charge high stamp duty to moderate the rates for all and also consider further lowering duties for properties purchased by women. This reform will be made an essential component of urban development schemes,” said Nirmala Sitharaman.
The government has also increased budget allocation for schemes under Mission Shakti from ₹2,325 crore to ₹3,146 crore. Mission Shakti, which stands for Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women, includes schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Nari Adalat, Mahila Police, etc.
To ease the difficulty of finding a suitable house to rent for women who want to move into a new city for a job or to study, the government will focus on increasing the number of hostels for working women. These hostels will be set up in collaboration with industry.
“We will facilitate higher participation of women in the workforce through setting up of working women hostels in collaboration with industry and establishing creches," said Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech on Tuesday.
Budgetary allocation for SAMARTHYA, which includes schemes like Shakti Sadan (Swadhar, Ujjawala, Widow Home), Shakhi Niwas (Working Women Hostel), Palna (National Creche Scheme), etc, has increased from ₹1,863.85 crore in FY24 to ₹2,516.97 crore in FY25.
The PM Modi-led government has doubled the budgetary allocation for Nirbhaya Fund transfer from ₹100 crore in FY 24 to ₹200 crore in FY25. Nirbhaya Fund was established by the central government in response to the Nirbhaya rape case in 2013 to improve women's safety and security. This year's budget allocation for all schemes for the safety of women stood at ₹1,105 crore.
