Allocations for women, children jump 11.55% to ₹5.01 trn in Budget 2026

Allocation for women and girls under various schemes has increased by 11.55 per cent to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27, up from Rs 4.49 lakh crore in the previous financial year as per the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) released by the government.

Gender budget statement includes allocations for schemes exclusively for women and girls, as well as proportion of spending in broader schemes that benefit them, bringing together total allocations across ministries aimed at promoting gender equality.

The share of allocation of gender budget in the Union Budget has also risen to 9.37 per cent 2026-27 from 8.86 per cent, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said in a statement on Wednesday.

The allocations were announced as part of the Union Budget 2026-27, which was presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.

A total of 53 ministries/departments and five Union territories have reported allocations in the gender budget this year -- compared to 49 ministries/departments and five UTs in the previous fiscal.

Of the total allocation, Rs 1,07,688.42 crore (21.50 per cent) has been reported by nine ministries and one UT under Part A of the GBS, which includes schemes that are 100 per cent women-specific.

Under Part B, covering schemes with 30-99 per cent allocation for women, Rs 3,63,412.37 crore (72.54 per cent) has been reported by 28 ministries and one UT.

Meanwhile, Rs 29,777.94 crore (5.95 per cent) has been reported by 37 ministries and five UTs under Part C, which includes schemes with less than 30 per cent allocation for women.

Among the top ministries that reported more than 30 per cent of their allocations in the gender budget in 2026-27 include the Ministry of Women & Child Development (81.73 per cent), Department of Rural Development (69.92 per cent) and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (48.60 per cent).