Union Budget 2026-27 has significantly boosted support for women entrepreneurs by expanding the Lakhpati Didi initiative and launching She-Marts – community-owned retail outlets designed to help women SHG (Self Help Group) members transition from micro-credit livelihoods to business ownership.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the measures while presenting a ₹53.4 lakh crore Budget in Parliament, alongside new girls’ hostels and higher education support aimed at strengthening women’s economic participation.
The latest plan builds on last year’s emphasis on gender budgeting and higher targets for Lakhpati Didi, signalling a deeper policy focus on women’s economic empowerment.
From Livelihoods to Enterprise: What Budget 2026 Proposes
Budget 2026 outlines that She-Marts will be set up as community-owned retail outlets within the cluster-level federations of SHGs to provide women entrepreneurs with sustainable market access, branding opportunities and enhanced financing instruments.
This, officials say, moves beyond last year’s approach – which mainly strengthened the Lakhpati Didi programme and introduced supportive credit frameworks – by creating formal market structures for women-led products and businesses.
“I propose to help women take the next step from credit-linked livelihood to owners of enterprises,” stated Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech.
With the Lakhpati Didi mission previously scaled to target 3 crore women and integrate skill training in sectors from tailoring to drone operation, the She-Marts layer adds a marketplace dimension that could help convert skills into income more predictably.
Wider Policy Context: How 2026 Compares With Last Year
In last year’s Budget cycle, the government enhanced the Lakhpati Didi target from 2 crore to 3 crore women, strengthening the existing self-help group ecosystem and broadening training and income support.
Gender budgeting allocations also rose significantly, with 49 ministries reporting dedicated funds in FY26 – up from 38 previously – reflecting a sustained emphasis on women-focused spending.
While Budget 2025-26 focused on expanding institutional support and credit access, Budget 2026 goes further by integrating enterprise growth and market participation into the policy mix.
It also pairs women’s economic measures with broader educational support – including girls’ hostels in every district – to enhance long-term prospects for female participation in STEM and skilled sectors.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Budget 2026’s women-centric measures reflect a progressive shift from welfare to empowerment – from enabling credit access to enabling business ownership.
This evolution is a crucial step toward economic equality, recognising that sustainable income and market access are central to women’s agency.
However, the effectiveness of these policies will depend on ground-level implementation, transparent governance and inclusive financing that reaches the most marginalised women.
