In the Union Budget 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced several schemes aimed at boosting housing, employment, agriculture, and financial inclusion. The announcements focus on real estate revival, welfare for gig workers, farmer support, and small business empowerment. Here are the four announcements made in the Budget 2025 for homebuyers, gig workers, farmers and street vendors.
1. SWAMIH Fund 2 for homebuyers
Building on the success of SWAMIH Fund-1, the finance minister launched SWAMIH Fund-2. This fund is aimed at providing relief to distressed housing projects and also help homebuyers to easily. Under the first SWAMIH Fund, 50,000 stalled dwelling units were completed and were given to the homebuyers. This helped homebuyers who were paying EMI on stuck housing projects while also living in the rental house. With SWAMIH Fund-2, the government plans to complete an additional 40,000 units in 2025, benefiting middle-class homebuyers who are burdened with both rent and EMIs. This initiative seeks to resolve funding issues for incomplete housing projects and revive the real estate sector.
2. Welfare and social security benefits for gig workers via e-Shram portal
To improve the social security of gig and platform workers, the government will issue identity cards and facilitate the registration of 1 crore gig workers on the e-Shram portal. This was announced in Budget 2025. These workers, including those from platforms such as Zomato and Blinkit, will also gain access to healthcare benefits under the PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). This step recognizes the growing gig economy and provides much-needed social security for informal workers.Also Read | How gig workers can register on e-shram portal: here is a step-by-step guide
3. Kisan Credit Card: Credit limit hiked to Rs 5 lakh
The government announced an increase in the credit limit under the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme for Kisan Credit Cards (KCC). The credit limit under Kisan Credit Card has been announced to be raised to ?3 lakh to ?5 lakh. A hike in credit limit will benefit 7.7 crore farmers, dairy producers, and fishermen, helping them access affordable credit for agricultural and allied activities at lower interest rates.What is the Kisan Credit Card (KCC)?
Introduced in 1998, the Kisan Credit Card provides short-term loans at subsidized interest rates to farmers for purchasing seeds, fertilizers, and equipment. The new budget provisions will further enhance financial support, ensuring better access to credit for agricultural development.
4 PM SVANidhi: Boost for street vendors
The PM SVANidhi scheme, which supports street vendors operating in urban areas as of March 24, 2020, will be revamped with improved benefits. The finance minister highlighted that the scheme has already benefited 68 lakh street vendors, helping them transition from high-interest informal sector loans to formal financial support. The revised scheme includes:
- · Enhanced loans from banks
- · UPI-linked credit cards with a Rs 30,000 limit
- · Capacity-building support for vendors
Key Features of PM SVANidhi
- · Initial working capital loan of Rs10,000
- · 7% interest subsidy for timely repayment
- · Cash-back incentives for digital transactions
- · Higher loan eligibility for vendors repaying on time
