Patna: The Nitish Kumar-led government has rolled out a major financial scheme aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs across Bihar. Deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary announced on Tuesday that more than 1.40 crore women linked with Jeevika groups will now be able to take cheap loans from the newly set-up Bihar State Jeevika Nidhi Credit Cooperative Union. The union has been launched with a fund of Rs 105 crore, and officials say it will directly benefit women involved in cottage and micro industries.
At present, these women manage cottage industries with a combined turnover of nearly Rs 56,000 crore, significantly contributing to Bihar’s GST collection. Until now, they had relied on financial institutions that often charged high interest rates, creating hurdles in expanding their businesses. With the creation of Jeevika Nidhi, the government hopes to free them from such dependency and make credit affordable at the local level.
Chaudhary underlined that women’s economic independence was central to the growth of families and society as a whole. He said the move will not only ensure access to credit but also give rural women a fresh identity as entrepreneurs and leaders in their villages. “When women are strong, the whole family and society will be strong,” he remarked while highlighting the importance of the initiative.
The government has been consistently introducing measures to support women. Bihar was the first state to give 50% reservation to women in panchayat elections and 35% reservation in the recruitment of teachers and police personnel. Today, Bihar has the largest number of women in its police force, and more than two lakh women are working as teachers. Recently, another scheme was introduced to provide up to Rs 2 lakh in financial assistance to help women move towards self-employment and strengthen their livelihoods.
