FM Expands Lakhpati Didi Programme to Promote Women Entrepreneurs

Against a backdrop of global volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman used her ninth consecutive Union Budget to reassert women’s economic participation as a central driver of India’s growth agenda. Building on last year’s expansion in gender-linked allocations and entrepreneurship-focused signals, the 2025–26 Budget deepens the pivot from welfare-oriented inclusion to enterprise-led empowerment.

From Livelihoods to Ownership: Expanding Lakhpati Didi

A key announcement highlighted this shift in approach. Sitharaman proposed extending the Lakhpati Didi programme to help women move beyond credit-linked livelihood models and take “the next step” towards owning enterprises. By emphasising business ownership rather than income generation alone, the policy signals a sharper focus on scaling women-led enterprises across sectors.

Introducing ‘She-Mark’ for Women Entrepreneurs

The Budget also introduced a new identity and support mechanism for women entrepreneurs through the rollout of ‘She-Mark’. Positioned as a badge and access tool, She-Mark is intended to improve women entrepreneurs’ access to credit-linked products and innovative financial instruments, strengthening their integration into formal finance and growth ecosystems.

How the Gender Budget Is Structured?

The GBS framework remains divided into three parts: Part A for schemes with 100 % women-specific allocations, Part B for schemes with 30–99% allocation for women, and Part C for schemes with less than 30% allocation. Part B accounted for nearly three-fourths of the total gender budget. 

The Ministry of Women and Child Development emerged as the largest contributor, allocating over 81% of its total expenditure to women-centric initiatives, supported by spending across ministries including Rural Development, Health and Family Welfare, Food and Public Distribution, School Education and Literacy, and Drinking Water and Sanitation.

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Startup Capital and the Entrepreneurship Push

Alongside welfare-led spending, Sitharaman underscored women’s entrepreneurship as a Budget priority within the government-backed startup ecosystem. She noted that the alternate investment fund for startups has received commitments exceeding ₹91,000 crore, backed by a ₹10,000 crore contribution from the government of India, pointing to the scale of capital already mobilised to support enterprise growth.

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