Union Budget presented by the first full-time female Finance minister of the country has implied the meaning of “Nari to Narayani” in its true sense with a huge focus on women empowerment. Being a women empowerment company, we welcome this great move of expansion of the interest subvention program to all districts for boosting women self-help groups. Apart from economic and political empowerment, the time also demands the empowerment of women health, hygiene, and wellbeing. With 5 lakh open defecation free villages and 9.6 crore toilets in place, the government has to ensure the proper sanitation and cleanliness of these toilets. Open Defecation free India by October 2019 is a great step in the direction of Swachh Bharat. But for this to support the vision of Ayushman Bharat and Women Empowerment, the hygiene and sanitation level of public toilets need to be assured especially for India’s women in rural and urban areas facing severe health and hygiene issues.
Additionally, as start-ups, we welcome the move of e-verification, which will save us from the tedious process of tax scrutiny. Announcement of 80 Livelihood business incubators and 20 technology business incubators under ASPIRE to develop 75,000 skilled entrepreneurs in agro-rural industries will also pave the way for more disruptive concepts in feminine hygiene category to make affordable and sustainable hygiene products and solutions reachable to rural India. New national research foundation proposal will take India’s research and innovation to new heights.