Girls hostel in every district, SHE marts to boost ‘self-help’ entrepreneurship

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced dedicated girls hostel in each of India’s nearly 800 districts. She has also announced a first-time concept of promotion of self-help entrepreneurship (SHE) through SHE marts that she announced on Sunday.

“In higher education STEM institutions, prolonged hours of study and laboratory work pose some challenges for girl students. Through VGF (viability gap funding)/capital support, one girls’ hostel will be established in every district,” the Finance Minister said in her Budget speech.

In a major step towards promoting equity and safety in higher education, the initiative aims to address regional and social disparities, improve enrolment and retention, and enable greater participation of young women in emerging and technology-driven sectors.

According to the government, the share of ‘Gender Budget’ in the total Union Budget has increased to 9.37 per cent in FY 2026–27 from 8.86 per cent in FY 2025–26, reflecting the government’s deepened commitment to gender-responsive governance.

“An allocation of Rs 5 lakh crore has been reported for the welfare of women and girls in the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for FY 2026–27, marking an 11.36 per cent increase over the GBS allocation of Rs 4.49 lakh crore in FY 2025–26,” it said in a communiqué.

The government has also announced the establishment of Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) marts to deepen women’s economic participation at the grassroots level. These are community-owned retail outlets, which will be set up within cluster-level federations, to provide structured and sustained market access for products manufactured by women-led self-help groups (SHGs).

The initiative is expected to enhance incomes, strengthen local value chains and position women not only as entrepreneurs, but also as job creators, particularly across rural and semi-urban regions.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi called the Budget a “strong affirmation of the government’s commitment to women-led development and child well-being”.

“By recognising care as both an economic and social priority, strengthening skilling and entrepreneurship, expanding access to health and education, and ensuring dignity and inclusion for Divyangjan, the Budget advances our collective resolve to build a more inclusive and empowered Viksit Bharat. Women are not just beneficiaries of development, they are its driving force,” she said in a post on X.

The Budget also integrates women-led groups into the fisheries and coastal livelihoods sector. Various women-centric measures announced on Sunday include strengthening market linkages involving start-ups, women-led groups, and fish farmers producer organisations, along with the integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars.

Reacting to the budget, dance doyen Shovana Narayan told The Tribune, “Speaking as a classical performing artiste, in order to promote the classical performing arts that preserve cultural heritage and foster national identity while driving economy, social progress and holistic development, tax reliefs to media houses for promotion of awareness of the classical performing arts could be taken into account.”

“Even the idea of Corporate Cultural Responsibility could be introduced, specially designed for the promotion of the nation’s classical performing arts heritage,” Narayan added.

Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh said, “The government’s initiative to build girls hostels in every district is very timely. It is imperative for the government to look at the growing number of girls leaving their homes for work and education. The step is crucial for their safety and betterment.”