New Delhi:
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced a proposal to construct a girls’ hostel in every district of the country as part of measures to strengthen higher education and support women’s participation in advanced studies and entrepreneurship.
Presenting the Union Budget 2026, Sitharaman said the government plans increased investment in the higher education sector through the establishment of new institutes, university townships, girls’ hostels and telescope infrastructure facilities. She stated that one girls’ hostel will be built in each district to ensure safe and accessible accommodation for women pursuing higher education.
Highlighting challenges faced by women students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, the Finance Minister said prolonged hours of study and laboratory work create additional difficulties for female students. The proposed hostels, she said, would help improve enrolment and retention of women in advanced scientific fields, including astrophysics and astronomy, through immersive learning experiences.
The Finance Minister also announced the launch of ‘She MARTS’, community-owned self-help entrepreneur marts aimed at promoting women-led enterprises. Building on the Lakpati Didi programme, Sitharaman said the initiative would help women transition from credit-linked livelihoods to becoming enterprise owners.
Under the proposal, self-help entrepreneur marts will function as community-owned retail outlets within cluster-level federations and will be supported through enhanced and innovative financing. The initiative is intended to provide women entrepreneurs with better market access, branding opportunities and sustainable income avenues, while strengthening grassroots institutions such as self-help groups.
Sitharaman outlined six key focus areas of the Budget, including scaling up manufacturing in strategic and frontier sectors, revitalising legacy industries, creating champion micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), boosting infrastructure development, ensuring long-term economic security and stability, and developing city economic regions.
The Finance Minister also laid before Parliament two statements under Section 3(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003—the Medium-term Fiscal Policy-cum-Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and the Macro-Economic Framework Statement.
Earlier, Sitharaman had tabled the Economic Survey for the 2025–26 financial year in Parliament. The Budget session will comprise 30 sittings over 65 days and will conclude on April 2. Parliament will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 to allow Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.