By Priyanka Deshpande
CNBC-TV18.com
Published Feb 01, 2024
FM Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech on Feb 1, highlighted four key focus areas – garib, mahila, yuva, and annadata.
Emphasising the importance of women's empowerment, FM highlighted the significant progress made by women in entrepreneurship, quality of life, and dignity over the past decade. Here’s a look at some key points the FM underlined:
FM highlighted a 28% surge in female enrollment in higher education. In STEM courses, girls and women now make up 43% of the total enrollment, marking one of the highest percentages globally.
FM said criminalising triple talaq, reserving one-third of parliamentary and state assembly seats for women, and providing houses through PM Awas Yojana have collectively boosted women's status and dignity.
Over 70% of houses under PM Awas Yojana in rural areas were given to women as sole or joint owners.
Sitharaman informed that 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans have been given to women entrepreneurs.
Aimed at empowering women in rural areas, the Finance Minister enhanced the target for the 'Lakhpati Didi' scheme to 3 crore women, from initial 2 crore.
The FM extended Ayushman Bharat scheme, providing health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary & tertiary care hospitalisation, to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, & helpers.
With an emphasis on preventive healthcare, Sitharaman announced a vaccination drive targeting girls aged 9 to 14 years to combat cervical cancer, a disease that ranks as the 2nd most common among Indian women.