New Delhi: Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said the government has sanctioned 15.56 lakh loans amounting Rs 7.23 lakh crore under the Mudra scheme of which an overwhelming majority were woman beneficiaries. Presenting the Budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha, Goyal said more than 70 per cent of Mudra Yojna beneficiaries were women.

Moreover, he said the Narendra Modi-led government has also taken several steps to empower women, including the Pradhan Mantri Matritva Yojana and providing 26 weeks of maternity leave. Under the Mudra scheme, the government has sanctioned 15.56 lakh loans amounting Rs 7.23 lakh crore, he added. Terming Ujjwala Yojana providing a free cooking gas connection as a "remarkable success story", Goyal said out of 8 crore free LPG connections under Ujjwala, 6 crore connections to poor women have already been provided. The finance minister also said gratuity limit has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. Commenting on India's growing clout in entrepreneurship, he said India has become the second largest hub of startups.