Focussing on women-led development, the government on Tuesday announced more than Rs 3 lakh crore for schemes benefiting women and girls.
"Increasing the participation of women in the workforce will be a priority," said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting her seventh Budget.
"This will be facilitated by setting up hostels and creating partnerships to organise women-specific skilling programmes and promotion of market access for women Self Help Group enterprises," she said.
She said, "We need to focus on the poor, women, youth and farmers."
Further, the allocation for women's welfare and empowerment saw a 218.8 per cent jump from FY14 to FY25.
"The growth is indicative of India's determination to shift from women-led development to women's development, as stated in the Economic Survey 2023–2024," the Finance Minister said.
"The budget demonstrated commitment to supporting MSMEs and women via access to finance, infrastructure and skilling support. Innovative schemes, such as internship opportunities for youth and the development of Digital Public Infrastructure reflect the government's forward-thinking approach. Significant investments in infrastructure and tax relief measures, such as an increased standard deduction for salaried employees, will increase disposable income for consumers, providing a boost to retail. Additionally, the focus on climate sustainability through a roadmap for transitioning industries is most welcome. We believe the focus on manufacturing, youth, skilling, employment generation, sustainability, and women empowerment will lead to a more inclusive growth and economy," Murali Iyer, Country CFO, IKEA India, said in a statement.
(With inputs from IANS)
