Union Budget 2025: Gender Budget Allocation Increases to ₹4.49 Lakh Crore

Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 in Parliament on February 1, 2025. The budget highlighted several important allocations, with a significant increase in the share of the Gender Budget Statement (GBS). This increase demonstrates the government’s growing commitment to empowering women and girls across the country.

Increased Allocation for Women’s Welfare

In FY 2025-26, the share of the Gender Budget in the total Union Budget has risen to 8.86%, up from 6.8% in the previous year (FY 2024-25). The total allocation for women’s and girls’ welfare in the GBS for FY 2025-26 stands at ₹4.49 lakh crore, marking an increase of 37.25% over the ₹3.27 lakh crore allocated in FY 2024-25.

The allocation covers a broad range of initiatives aimed at addressing the welfare of women and girls, including healthcare, education, skill development, economic empowerment, and social security programs.

Increased Participation of Ministries and Departments

The Union Budget 2025-26 also saw a remarkable increase in the number of Ministries/Departments and Union Territories (UTs) reporting allocations for the Gender Budget.

This year, 49 Ministries/Departments and 5 UTs reported allocations, compared to 38 Ministries/Departments and 5 UTs in FY 2024-25. This represents the highest number of participants since the inception of the Gender Budget Statement.

Notably, 12 new Ministries/Departments have contributed to the Gender Budget this year. These include the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, among others.

Key Highlights from the Gender Budget Statement

The Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for FY 2025-26 is divided into three parts: Part A, Part B, and Part C.

• Part A includes 100% women-specific schemes, with an allocation of ₹1,05,535.40 crore (23.50% of the total GBS).
• Part B focuses on schemes with 30-99% allocation for women, accounting for ₹3,26,672.00 crore (72.75%).
• Part C, which includes schemes with less than 30% allocation for women, totals ₹16,821.28 crore (3.75%).

The top 10 Ministries/Departments contributing more than 30% of their allocations to the Gender Budget include the Ministry of Women & Child Development (81.79%), the Department of Rural Development (65.76%), and the Department of Food & Public Distribution (50.92%).

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