Haryana Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, both the Central and Haryana Governments are actively working towards empowering women. He said that the government's goal is to ensure women become key contributors to the nation’s development.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the suggestions provided by women today would play an important role in further empowering and strengthening women in the upcoming budget. Sh Nayab Singh Saini was speaking during the sixth pre-budget consultation with women for Budget 2025-26, held in Panchkula today.
Women gave important suggestions in budget consultation
A total of 35 women, playing leading roles across various fields, participated in the pre-budget consultation and shared their suggestions with the Chief Minister. The women who contributed ideas included Anganwadi workers, members of self-help groups, Drone Didi, Lakhpati Didi, representatives from NGOs, progressive women farmers, and women entrepreneurs.
In addition, young women from Haryana who took part in the Prime Minister's Vikasit Bharat Young Leaders program in New Delhi on Swami Vivekananda Jayanti also shared their valuable suggestions.
Provision of 33 percent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies in 2029
Sh Nayab Singh Saini highlighted that the Prime Minister has announced a provision for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by 2029, aimed at ensuring greater female participation in the nation's development and providing them with leadership opportunities.
He further mentioned that the Haryana government is committed to empowering and making women self-reliant. To achieve this goal, the state government has implemented several ambitious initiatives.
Pre-budget discussion to be held with industrialists in Faridabad and representatives of textile industry in Panipat
The Chief Minister said that in order to realize the concept of an inclusive budget, the state government is actively seeking suggestions from various sections of society. The best suggestions received will be incorporated into the state government's budget. He mentioned that, for the first time, the state government has introduced a system where residents can submit budget-related suggestions online from the comfort of their homes.
A dedicated portal has been created for this purpose. He assured that the important suggestions shared by women during today's pre-budget consultation will be included in the upcoming budget. He added that thousands of suggestions have already been received through pre-budget consultations with representatives from various sectors across the state.
He will soon hold pre-budget discussions with industrialists in Faridabad and representatives from the textile industry in Panipat. Prior to this, similar consultations were held with stakeholders in Gurugram and Hisar.
Sanjha Bazaars will soon open in Yamunanagar and Fatehabad
The Chief Minister said that women today are not only excelling in fields such as education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, self-help groups, and sports but are also becoming a source of inspiration for others. He said that the government is fully supporting and assisting women in their endeavours.
Whether it’s the launch of the Drone Didi initiative or the establishment of Sanjha Bazaars, the government is dedicated to empowering women. He shared that last year, it was suggested that a market for working women be created, allowing them to earn income by selling their products and becoming self-reliant.
In response to this, the state government announced the Sanjha Bazaar scheme in the 2024-25 budget. Under this initiative, a Sanjha Bazaar has already been launched in Karnal, and similar markets will soon be opened in Yamunanagar and Fatehabad. In addition, Atal canteens have been set up in the mandis of the state, which are being successfully managed by women.
Mahila Chaupals to come up in villages
He mentioned that the current state government has developed a roadmap to ensure that girls do not face any barriers in pursuing higher education. As part of this initiative, a women’s college has been established every 20 kilometers. Additionally, a pink bus service has been introduced to safely transport female students.
The Chief Minister further highlighted that there are plans to open Mahila Chaupals in the villages of the state for women. While Mahila Chaupals have already been set up in some villages, they will soon be launched in other villages as well.
Women must listen to the budget speech in February
Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Sh Rajesh Khullar said that the pre-budget consultation program was launched six years ago to gather suggestions from various stakeholders for the state budget. Since its inception, approximately 400 suggestions from different sectors have been incorporated into the budget.
Sh. Khullar encouraged the women who participated in the pre-budget consultation to listen to the speech of Chief Minister Sh Nayab Singh Saini when he presents the budget as Finance Minister in February. He assured them that on that day, they would undoubtedly recall and reflect on the experiences of today’s meeting.
On this occasion, progressive woman farmer Gurpreet Kaur from Yamunanagar presented turmeric pickle, prepared by herself, to the Chief Minister. In recognition of her efforts, the Chief Minister encouraged Mrs. Gurpreet Kaur by giving her Rs. 500. He also inquired about the sale of her turmeric pickle. Mrs. Kaur shared that she had set up her stall at the International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav in Kurukshetra and the Kapalmochan Mela in Bilaspur.
Additional Chief Secretary of Finance Department Sh Anurag Rastogi, Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department Sh. Raja Shekhar Vundru, Commissioner and Secretary of Women and Child Development Department Mrs P. Amneet Kumar, OSD to Chief Minister Sh. Raj Nehru, Media Secretary Sh Praveen Attrey, along with other senior officers and women representatives were also present.