Union Budget 2025 Unveils Scheme to Empower SC/ST Women Entrepreneurs

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 1 February 2025

• A new scheme will offer up to Rs 2 crore in loans to 5 lakh SC/ST women.
• Stand-Up India has supported 40,002 SC women and 13,424 women so far.

While announcing the 2025 Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has unveiled a new initiative poised to bolster women’s entrepreneurship, targeting 5 lakh women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST). Over the next five years, this scheme will facilitate term loans of up to Rs 2 crore, providing crucial financial support to aspiring business owners.

Stand-Up India, launched in 2016, has been instrumental in promoting entrepreneurship among women, particularly those from SC/ST communities. Building on the foundation of the Stand-Up India scheme, the new initiative will integrate key insights gained from its previous rollout.

Although the details of how the new scheme will align with Stand-Up India have yet to be revealed, it signals the government's continued commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs.

Stand-Up India provides loans ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to at least one SC/ST borrower and one woman borrower per bank branch. This support enables them to establish greenfield enterprises in various sectors, including manufacturing, services, trading, and agriculture-related activities.

Data presented in Parliament in June 2024 revealed that loans have been disbursed under the Stand-Up India scheme to 40,02 SC women and 13,424 women, highlighting its reach and impact. The new scheme is expected to build upon this foundation, further driving women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.