Union Budget 2026 proposes girls’ hostel in country's every district

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 unveiled a set of measures in the Union Budget 2026 aimed at strengthening higher education and expanding opportunities for women-led entrepreneurship, with proposals to build a girls’ hostel in every district and set up community-owned ‘She MARTS’ across the country.

Presenting the Budget in Parliament, Sitharaman said higher public investment would support new institutes, university townships and specialised infrastructure. “I propose multiple steps towards setting up new institutes, university townships, girls’ hostel and telescope infrastructure facilities in the investment in the higher education sector,” she said, adding that “a girls’ hostel will be built in every district of the country”.

The Finance Minister flagged structural challenges faced by women students, particularly in science and technology courses that demand long hours in classrooms and laboratories. “In higher education, STEM institutions, prolonged hours of study and laboratory work pose some challenges for girl students,” she said. The proposed hostels, she noted, would provide safe and accessible accommodation and help improve enrolment and retention in advanced scientific fields, including astrophysics and astronomy, through immersive learning environments.

Alongside education, the Budget placed strong emphasis on women’s entrepreneurship. Sitharaman announced the launch of ‘She MARTS’, or self-help entrepreneur marts, designed as community-owned retail outlets. “Building on the success of the Lakpati Didi programme, the government plans to help women move from credit-linked livelihoods to becoming enterprise owners,” she said. The marts will operate within cluster-level federations and be supported through enhanced and innovative financing.

According to the Finance Minister, the initiative is intended to give women entrepreneurs better market access and branding support, while creating sustainable income streams and strengthening grassroots institutions such as self-help groups.

Sitharaman outlined six broad priorities in the Budget to support long-term economic growth and stability. These include scaling up manufacturing in strategic and frontier sectors, rejuvenating legacy industries, creating champion micro, small and medium enterprises, delivering a major push for infrastructure, ensuring long-term security and stability, and developing city-based economic regions.

As part of statutory requirements, the Finance Minister also laid two statements before the House under Section 3(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003: the Medium-term Fiscal Policy-cum-Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and the Macro-Economic Framework Statement.

Earlier last week, Sitharaman had tabled the Economic Survey for the 2025–26 financial year in Parliament. The Budget session will run for 30 sittings over 65 days and conclude on April 2, with both Houses scheduled to 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.