NEW DELHI: Emphasizing women-led development in the country, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced schemes worth Rs 3 lakh crore for schemes to benefit women and girls.
Presenting her seventh straight Budget, Sitharaman said, “For promoting women-led development, the budget carries an allocation of more than Rs. 3 lakh crore for schemes benefitting women and girls.”
“This signals our government’s commitment for enhancing women’s role in economic development,” she said.
She also announced that to facilitate higher participation of women in the workforce, the government will set up working women hostels in collaboration with industry, and establish creches.
“In addition, the partnership will seek to organize women-specific skilling programmes, and promotion of market access for women SHG enterprises,” she added.
At the beginning of her budget speech, Sitharaman said the government's focus as mentioned in the interim budget is on four major castes – poor, women, youth, and farmers.
“Our government is committed to all-round, all-pervasive and all-inclusive development of people, particularly, farmers, youth, women and poor.”
“For achieving social justice comprehensively, the saturation approach of covering all eligible people through various programmes including those for education and health will be adopted to empower them by improving their capabilities,” she said in her budget speech.
She also announced lowering duties for properties purchased by women.
“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.”