Union 2026: Budget Round Table With Content Creators, Decoding University Township Plans, Content Creator Labs, SHE-Mart, And More

The Union Budget 2026 has sparked plenty of discussion, especially among the middle class, who often feel the impact of policy changes most directly. In this round-table discussion, content creators from different backgrounds come together to decode what the Union Budget 2026 really means. This is our series ‘Budget And Her’, where we look at the budget from a woman’s perspective. This campaign is in collaboration with DigiWhistle (@digiwhistle). In an exclusive round table conversation with HerZindagi, finance content creators Nidhi Nagar, Rohit Joshi, and Taresh Singhania explained about new changes for girls in terms of higher education, girls’ hostels, content creator labs, why markets fell significantly after the budget, and more.

University Township Plans (Girls' Hostel)

Finance Miniter Nirmala Sitharaman said the budget includes plans to set up new institutes, university townships, girls’ hostels, and telescope facilities to boost higher education. She said, “Through our scheme, one girls’ hostel will be established in every district to promote astrophysics and astronomy via immersive experiences.”

Nidhi Nagar explained, “There’s a focus on improving higher education infrastructure, and the government has proposed building a girls’ hostel in every district to make it easier and safer for young women to study, especially in science and technology courses where long hours and lab work are common. The plan also builds on schemes for women’s economic empowerment by expanding self‑help groups into community retail outlets to support women entrepreneurs.”

SHE Marts For Women Entrepreneurs

‘SHE-Mart’ means for Self-Help Entrepreneurs. During the Budget session Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2026 said, “SHE (self-help entrepreneur) marks will be set up as community-owned retail outlets to help women entrepreneurs. I propose to help women take the next step from credit-linked livelihood to owners of enterprises.” She further said, “Building on the success of the Lakpati Didi programme, the government plans to help women move from credit-linked livelihoods to becoming enterprise owners. Self-help entrepreneur marts will be established as community owned retail outlets within cluster-level federations, supported through enhanced and innovative financing, enabling women to take the next step in entrepreneurship.”

“SHE Marts will be community-run shops set up by groups of women (SHGs), especially in areas focused on farming and related activities”, says Nidhi Nagar.  

Indian Rupee Fall

Just weeks before the Budget, the rupee dropped sharply against the US dollar, falling 63 paise to close at Rs 90.86 per dollar on January 16, 2026 — its biggest single-day fall in almost two months. Taresh Singhania shares, “Foreign investors have been pulling out over the past year or two, and domestic investors are also hesitant. People lack confidence to invest or trade. Next year, the focus should be on stock market education so investors understand risks and avoid losses, rather than just discouraging them with higher taxes or margins.” 

ALSO READ- What Is the Union Budget? Guide To Facts And Changes Ft. Nidhi Nagar

Content Creator Labs

Press Information Bureau (PIB) mentions, “With the emerging technologies playing a pivotal role in India’s Orange Economy, the Budget underscores India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector as a growing industry projected to require 2 million professionals by 2030.The Union Budget proposes to support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai in setting up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges in furtherance of India’s Orange economy.”

Rohit Joshi highlighted that this is a big change and a good step by the government towards content creation. He shared, “The budget included several announcements for content creation, something we haven’t seen before. While content creation is a popular self-employment option abroad, it’s still new in India. The government plans to set up centres in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges to teach skills like VFX, comics, podcasting, and content production. The focus is on building this sector, with a goal of creating 1 million jobs by 2030.”

ALSO READ- Do You Pay Taxes? Here’s What The Budget May Have In Store, Ft Taresh Singhania

Disparity Amongst Female Finance Creators 

Women have slowly been getting more recognition in the budget. Female content creator Nidhi Nagar shared the challenges she faces in the finance space. She said that women often don’t get much support in finance and tend to seek advice from men. Even if women have ideas, they may not know how to get funding or loans. Nidhi sees her role as spreading awareness, and she feels proud when people message her saying they’ve started investing or learned to budget from her videos. 

The Union Budget 2026 brings opportunities and challenges for the middle class, women, and emerging sectors like content creation. Through awareness and education, these changes can be better understood and leveraged for growth.

For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi. 

Image credit: Freepik