Empowering India's Women: Key Focus Areas and Achievements from Budget 2024-25

India's women play a crucial role in driving socio-economic development and shaping the country's future. Recognizing the importance of women empowerment, the government has prioritized initiatives aimed at enhancing the welfare and opportunities for women across various sectors. The recently announced budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 underscores several focus areas and achievements in empowering India's women, spanning from agriculture and entrepreneurship to education and financial inclusion. Let's explore these key focus areas and their implications for the empowerment of women in India. 

Focus Area 1: Welfare of Farmers - Annadata 

The budget prioritizes the welfare of farmers, recognizing them as the backbone of India's agrarian economy. Direct financial assistance under schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) and crop insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) aim to provide support and financial security to farmers across the country. Additionally, the integration of mandis under the National Agriculture Market (eNAM) initiative facilitates transparent and efficient trading, benefiting farmers and enhancing market access.

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN):
• Direct financial assistance to 11.8 crore farmers.
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY):
• Crop Insurance to 4 crore farmers.
• National Agriculture Market (eNAM):
• Integration of 1,361 mandis, supporting trading volume of ₹3 lakh crore.

Empowering women through entrepreneurship and financial inclusion is a key focus area highlighted in the budget. Initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) have facilitated access to credit and financial assistance for women entrepreneurs, promoting self-employment and small business ventures. The budget also emphasizes increasing female enrolment in higher education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) courses, along with supporting women's self-help groups (SHGs) to enhance their economic independence.

• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY):
• 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans disbursed to women entrepreneurs.
• Women's Education:
• Increased female enrolment in higher education by 28% in 10 years.
• 43% of female enrolment in STEM courses.
• Women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs):
• 1 crore women assisted by 83 lakh SHGs to become Lakhpati Didis.

The budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 reaffirms the government's commitment to empowering India's women across various sectors. From agriculture and entrepreneurship to education and financial inclusion, the budget prioritizes initiatives aimed at enhancing the welfare and opportunities for women, recognizing their invaluable contributions to the country's development. By focusing on key areas of empowerment and implementing targeted interventions, India is poised to unlock the full potential of its women workforce and drive inclusive growth and development in the years ahead.

Sat Feb 3, 2024