Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has transferred ₹1,650 crore 33 lakh to the accounts of beneficiaries under various Rural Development Department schemes. The funds were disbursed during a program held at ‘Sankalp’ in 1 Anne Marg. The Chief Minister allocated ₹113 crore to 34,000 beneficiaries for livelihood promotion under the Sustainable Livelihood Scheme, which aims to support extremely poor families, particularly those traditionally involved in country liquor production, as well as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
Additionally, ₹400 crore was provided as a community investment fund to 48,500 self-help groups under the Jeevika program. A bank loan amounting to ₹537 crore 33 lakh was also transferred to 15,314 self-help groups. These loans will help women associated with self-help groups pursue self-employment opportunities. So far, bank loans worth ₹5,164 crore have been disbursed to self-help groups this financial year.
The Chief Minister also transferred ₹180 crore as an incentive to 1.5 lakh families for constructing toilets under the Lohia Swachh Bihar Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at tackling open defecation. Under the Saat Nishchay 2 scheme, waste management projects are being implemented to ensure the long-term sustainability of open defecation-free status in villages.
Moreover, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin, housing was sanctioned for 1.1 lakh families, and ₹420 crore was transferred as the first installment to 1.05 lakh beneficiaries. Over the next 100 days, another 2.43 lakh families will receive assistance, with ₹2,800 crore set to be allocated for housing construction and wage payments under MNREGA.
