New Delhi, Feb. 2 -- Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced a set of measures in the Union Budget 2026 aimed at expanding access to higher education for women and supporting women-led enterprises. The proposals include the construction of a girls' hostel in every district and the roll out of community-owned 'She MARTS' to strengthen women's entrepreneurship. Sitharaman said the government will increase investment in the higher education sector through new institutional and infrastructure initiatives. These include new institutes, university townships, hostels, and facilities linked to astronomy and astrophysics. "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. A girls' hostel will be built in every district of the country," the finance minister said. The proposal for district-level girls' hostels is aimed at addressing accommodation challenges faced by women pursuing higher studies, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Sitharaman said that academic schedules and laboratory requirements in these fields often create barriers for women students. "In higher education, STEM institutions, prolonged hours of study and laboratory work pose some challenges for girl students. Through our scheme, one girls' hostel will be established in every district to promote astrophysics and astronomy via immersive experiences," she added. Sitharaman also announced the launch of 'She MARTS', a network of self-help entrepreneur marts designed to support women transitioning into enterprise ownership. The initiative builds on existing self-help group programmes, including the Lakhpati Didi scheme. The Lakhpati Didi scheme, launched in 2023 by the ministry of rural development, empowers self-help groups run by women to earn an annual income of Rs.1 lakh or more. "Building on the success of the Lakhpati Didi Programme, I propose to help women take the next step from credit-led livelihoods to being owners of enterprises. Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts will be set up as community-owned retail outlets within the cluster level federations through enhanced and innovative financing instruments," Sitharaman said. She MARTS are expected to function as retail platforms managed by women's collectives, providing market access for products made by women entrepreneurs. The initiative aims to improve branding, income generation, and participation in formal markets, while strengthening institutions such as self-help groups and cluster-level federations. The ministry of women and child development was allocated Rs.28,183.06 crore in the Budget Estimates (BE) for 2026-27, compared with Rs.26,889.69 crore in BE 2025-26. The allocation for Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0 rose to Rs.23,100 crore in BE 2026-27 from Rs.21,960 crore in BE 2025-26. Mission Shakti was allocated Rs.3,200 crore, marginally higher than Rs.3,150 crore in the previous year's BE. Mission VATSALYA has received Rs.1,550 crore, up from Rs.1,500 crore in BE 2025-26....