During her presentation of the interim Budget 2024-25, Nirmala Sitharaman, finance minister has emphasised the significant progress made in empowering women through entrepreneurship and improving quality of life over the past decade. She highlighted a notable 28% increase in female enrolment in higher education during this period. Moreover, she mentioned that 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans have been disbursed to women entrepreneurs.
The minister underscored that female enrolment in STEM courses stands at 43%, among the highest globally, reflecting the growing inclusion of women in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Sitharaman noted that efforts to empower women through entrepreneurship, improving living standards, and upholding their dignity have seen considerable advancement over the past decade. She highlighted the rising participation of women in the workforce as a testament to these initiatives.
Furthermore, the minister pointed out key measures taken to enhance the dignity of women, including the criminalization of triple talaq, reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, and ensuring over 70% of houses under the PM Awas Yojana in rural areas are owned by women either solely or jointly.
With inputs from PTI.