The Lakhpati Didi Yojana, a key government initiative for empowering women, received a significant enhancement in the Union Budget 2026 on Sunday, with a proposed expansion of community-owned She-Marts to aid women entrepreneurs.
During her ninth Budget presentation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the enhanced scheme will increase economic opportunities for women in rural areas and bolster self-help groups (SHGs), which are crucial to the mission.
WHAT IS THE LAKHPATI DIDI SCHEME?
The Lakhpati Didi initiative is designed to empower women in rural areas by assisting self-help group members in starting small businesses, enabling them to earn a stable income of at least Rs 1 lakh annually, thereby achieving economic independence.