Union Budget 2026: Centre announces SHE Marts, girls’ hostels in every district

The Union Budget 2026-27 on Sunday announced the establishment of Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) marts and girls’ hostels in STEM institutions in every district, even as the share of Gender Budget increased to 9.37 per cent in FY 2026–27 from 8.86 per cent in FY 2025–26.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive budget in a rare Sunday sitting in Parliament. This will take her closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former prime minister Morarji Desai over different time periods.

Desai presented six budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and four budgets between 1967 and 1969. Former finance ministers P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee had presented nine and eight budgets, respectively, under different prime ministers.

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.

According to the government, the share of the 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 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 to 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.

The Budget also integrates women-led groups into the fisheries and coastal livelihoods sector. Measures 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.

In a major step towards equity and safety in higher education, the Budget provides for girls’ hostels in STEM institutions in every district. This initiative will address regional and social disparities, improve enrolment and retention, and enable greater participation of young women in emerging and technology-driven sectors.

Reacting to the budget, dance doyen Shovana Narayan told The Tribune, "Speaking as a classical performing artiste, to promote the classical performing arts that preserve cultural heritage and foster national identity while driving economic, 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."

Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh said, "The government's 'girls' hostels in every district' initiative 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."