Union Budget 2025-26: Is India’s Gender Budget Enough For Women’s Economic Empowerment

Komal Bajpai

Author

Updated: 16-04-2025 at 12:35 PM

In her Budget address, Nirmala Sitharaman reaffirmed that the government would help women prosper by providing major financial resources. The yearly funding rate for women has risen by 38.7% this year to reach its biggest level ever at ₹3.1 lakh crore. Observers believe the government budget changes have not produced enough helpful results. Does this budget make substantial changes or does it exist as a strategic election strategy?

Also Read: Nirmala Sitharaman Announces Budget 2025

Union Budget 2025-26: Key Allocations and Policies for Women

The budget provides new initiatives to boost women's employment levels and help them gain money and social care.

1. Record Gender Budget Allocation – Is It Enough?

The budget spent 3.1 billion rupees on gender initiatives which rose 218.8% from fiscal year 2014.
The Union Budget now distributes 6.5 per cent of its funds towards programmes that benefit women.
Those who analyse the funding agree that allotting more money might not lead to noticeable benefits at the local level.

2. Women’s Workforce Participation: Promises vs. Reality

The government seeks to create working women's hostels and childcare facilities by teaming up with private companies.
Self-help groups led by women will get both financial benefits and better market entrance when they join the programme.
The nation experiences minimal involvement from working women who make up 32.8% of the workforce so plans for improving this rate may require further consideration.

Also Read: Maritime Development Fund in Union Budget 2025

3. Women-Centric Welfare Schemes: A Closer Look

The government has introduced multiple welfare schemes aimed at enhancing the quality of life for women across India. These initiatives target crucial areas like education, maternal health, financial inclusion, and household welfare. Let's analyse their key features and potential impact.

Scheme	Key Features	Expected Impact
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao	Focus on female literacy and empowerment	Improved sex ratio and education levels
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana	Cash incentives for new mothers	Higher institutional deliveries and better maternal health
Mission Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0	Nutritional support for women and children	Reduced malnutrition rate
PM Ujjwala Yojana	Free LPG connections for women	Better health and reduced indoor pollution
Jal Jeevan Mission	Tap water for every household	Improved sanitation and reduced women’s workload

Past Budget Reforms: Have They Empowered Women?

Although the government highlights its reforms to empower women in public there are contradicting results from our on-the-ground studies. Recent reviews indicated these past empowerment projects had limited positive outcomes.

Although the Ujjwala Yojana programme issued 9.6 crore gas connexions it did not help women stick with LPG because they needed to pay expensive refills.
The programme provides maternity assistance to 40% of eligible women due to slow public approval processes.
Although 28 crore bank accounts went to female customers Jan Dhan Yojana has not succeeded yet because women need better financial understanding.

Also Read: Union Budget 2025 Benefiting The State Of Bihar

The Bigger Picture: Women and Economic Growth in India

The current economic development of India relies significantly on female labour force engagement. Despite various policies, the country still struggles with a low female labour force participation rate. The resolution of this problem needs employment policy alterations along with gender wage equality goals and safer working environments.

The percentage of India’s GDP sustained by women reaches 18% placing the country at the bottom levels worldwide.
A 50% increase in the female workforce will create an additional GDP value of $700 billion by 2030 for India.
Employment barriers like unequal pay for women and dangerous work conditions coupled with insufficient childcare facilities prevent female professionals from entering the workforce.

Conclusion

The Union Budget 2025-26 presents substantial female empowerment goals through comprehensive financing support and novel initiative programmes. Financial allocations alone will not achieve their intended objectives since they fail to overcome fundamental obstacles including low participation in the workforce and salary gaps together with safety hazards. The fundamental hurdle rests in achieving successful policy application and ensuring women from every socio-economic status receive targeted benefits. Future developments will show whether this budget represents true change or exists solely as an electoral measure.

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