BJP MP Anurag Thakur, representing Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, on Sunday, June 7, 2026, stated that nearly 9.5 per cent of the Union Budget under the Modi government is spent on schemes for the welfare of women — referred to as Matrishakti (mothers and women).

Posting from Hamirpur, Thakur wrote: 'Modi sarkar mein budget ka lagbhag 9.5 feesad Matrishakti ke kalyan ki yojanaon par kharch hota hai' — roughly translated as, 'In the Modi government, approximately 9.5 per cent of the budget is spent on welfare schemes for Matrishakti.' The post was accompanied by a video.

Context

The claim centres on gender budgeting, a fiscal tool India formally adopted in 2005 when the first Gender Budget Statement was presented alongside the Union Budget. Since then, successive governments have tracked allocations across ministries that directly or indirectly benefit women. Under the Modi government, which took office in 2014, this practice has been consistently maintained and publicly highlighted as a measure of commitment to women's empowerment.

Thakur, a five-term MP from Hamirpur and former Union Minister who held the portfolios of Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, has been a vocal advocate for the ruling party's social welfare record. His statement appears to be part of outreach in his constituency.

Policy Backdrop

The Gender Budget Statement, presented annually with the Union Budget, aggregates expenditure from multiple ministries — including Women and Child Development, Health, Rural Development, and Education — into two parts: schemes with 100 per cent allocation for women, and schemes where at least 30 per cent of the outlay benefits women. Key programmes counted within this framework include the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, launched in 2017, which provides direct cash transfers to pregnant and lactating women.

The National Policy for Women 2016 further expanded the focus on maternal health, nutrition, and economic empowerment, providing a policy architecture that subsequent budgets have drawn upon. The combined headline figure across these schemes is what Thakur appears to be citing as approximately 9.5 per cent of the total Union Budget.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of this budgetary allocation are women and mothers across India, particularly those in rural and semi-urban areas who access government programmes for maternal health, nutrition support, self-help groups, and skill development. For a constituency like Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, where a significant share of the population depends on government welfare infrastructure, such allocations carry direct significance.

Opposition parties have, in the past, questioned whether the Gender Budget Statement reflects actual spending on women or merely aggregates broader social-sector expenditure, making the 9.5 per cent figure a point of political contestation. Independent analysts note that the methodology of aggregation — particularly the 'at least 30 per cent benefit' criterion — can lead to varying interpretations of what truly constitutes women-centric spending.

What's Next

The next Union Budget and its accompanying Gender Budget Statement will be closely watched for updated allocation figures and any revision in the methodology of reporting women-centric expenditure. Parliamentary discussions on the Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Women and Child Development are expected to revisit these numbers in detail. Thakur's public assertion of the 9.5 per cent figure is likely to feature in the ruling party's broader communication strategy ahead of electoral cycles in Himachal Pradesh and nationally.