India, Feb. 1 -- Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the government wants to help women move from credit-based livelihoods to becoming owners of their own enterprises as she presented the Union Budget 2026-27. The proposal was made due to the success of the Lakhpati Didi programme, she said.

Sitharaman also announced the launch of self-help entrepreneurs or"She MARTS", which will operate as retail outlets run by self-help entrepreneurs and owned by the community.

"Self-help entrepreneurs will be set up as community-owned retail outlets within the cluster-level federations through enhanced and innovative financing instruments", she said.

Run by the ministry of rural development, the Lakhpati Didi programme seeks to ...