Budget 2026 promises to create more financially independent women in rural India
Budget 2026 promises to create more financially independent women in rural India
The Union Budget 2026 introduces SHE-Marts, a significant step towards empowering rural women in India by transitioning them from credit-led livelihoods to enterprise ownership. These community-owned retail outlets aim to enhance market access and financial independence for women, building on the success of the Lakhpati Didi Scheme and fostering sustainable entrepreneurship.
While the Lakhpati Didi scheme promised financial independence of rural women, SHE-Mart hopes to get them into the entrepreneurial fold.
In the Union Budget 2023, the government had announced the ‘Lakhpati Didi Scheme’, which enabled financial independence to the women of rural India. The scheme was meant for women in self-help groups to earn an income of ₹1 lakh or more per year through skill development, financial literacy and marketing expertise for the products the women working in these SHG’s created.
The women were also offered loans to set up micro enterprises. India has 4.1 crore potential ‘lakhpati didi’ beneficiaries. In Union Budget 2026, Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, has announced the next step from credit-led livelihoods to being owners of enterprises, with Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts. These will be set up as community-owned retail outlets within the cluster level federations through enhanced and innovative financing instruments.
SHE-Marts are meant to getting more rural women into the entrepreneurial fold. “The introduction of SHE-Marts is a thoughtful step in supporting rural women-led enterprises, helping them move from credit-led livelihoods to ownership and enterprise growth. By linking community-owned outlets with innovative financing, the initiative can strengthen local value chains and create sustainable income opportunities. For institutions like BlackSoil, which finance MFIs serving these enterprises, this creates an enabling environment where capital reaches women entrepreneurs efficiently, supporting scale, resilience, and long-term impact,” says Pulkit Singh, AVP - Investments, BlackSoil.
“The proposal to set up SHE Marts and create a more structured path from self-help groups to real enterprises is an especially important step. For years, credit has been available to women, but access to markets has been limited. Women can only grow when they are able to sell, expand and build visibility for their products and services. Community-owned retail, better branding support and improved market linkages can help women move from survival livelihoods to genuine entrepreneurship,” adds Madhura Dasgupta Sinha, Founder & CEO of Aspire For Her.