🔆Current Context: Analysis of India's Union Budget 2025-26, focusing on its gender-inclusive aspects and potential impact on women's economic participation. 📍Key Initiatives & Allocations: ✅"Viksit Bharat" Vision: Includes women as a priority group, aiming for 70% women in economic activities by 2047. ✅Gender Budget: Increased to 8.8% of the total budget, ₹4.49 lakh crore across 49 ministries. 12 additional ministries integrate gender budgets. ✅Schemes & Programs: Increased allocation for Skill India, DAY-NRLM, MGNREGS, etc. ~52% of funds directed towards women & girls. New schemes like PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana, first-time entrepreneurs' scheme, and sustainable livelihood for urban workers initiative. ✅Focus on Gig Workers: Formalizing gig workers through identity cards and e-Shram portal registration, aiming to provide access to social security. ✅AI for Education: Centre of Excellence on AI for education sector, ₹600 crore gender budget under India AI Mission. 📍Financial Inclusion & Entrepreneurship: ✅Women-owned MSMEs: 20.5% of MSMEs are women-owned. Focus on unlocking finance through collateral-free loans, alternative credit models, and financial literacy programs. ✅Potential Job Creation: 30 million additional women-owned businesses could generate 150-170 million jobs. 📍Labor Force Participation: ✅FLFPR Increase: Rose to ~42% in 2023-24, but still significantly lower than men's (~79%) and below the global average (~47%). ✅Target: Achieving 70% women's participation by 2047 requires further investment in skilling, employment, and infrastructure. 📍Concerns & Challenges: ✅Informal Sector: 90% of working women are in the informal sector, highlighting the need for comprehensive social security measures and enforcement of labor codes. ✅Implementation: Realizing the "Viksit Bharat" vision requires sustained efforts in policy implementation, infrastructure development, and social norm transformation. ✅Overall Assessment: The budget lays a foundation for advancing women's economic participation, but achieving ambitious targets requires sustained efforts, addressing structural challenges, and ensuring effective implementation of policies and schemes. Possible Questions: ✅Prelims: Which of the following is/are a focus area(s) in the Union Budget 2025-26 related to women's economic empowerment? Increasing the gender budget allocation. Formalizing gig workers through identity cards and e-Shram portal registration. Establishing a Centre of Excellence on AI for the education sector. (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 ✅Mains: "The Union Budget 2025-26 demonstrates a commitment to women's economic empowerment, but translating policy pronouncements into tangible outcomes requires addressing deep-rooted structural and socio-cultural barriers." Discuss.