Patna: Women associated with Bihar’s JEEViKA self-help group programme are writing a new chapter of empowerment and self-reliance, the state’s rural development minister Shrawon Kumar said on Tuesday, underlining the role of collective livelihoods in reducing poverty and dependence in rural areas.
Addressing the Community Voices Conclave at Gyan Bhavan in Patna, Kumar recalled that before 2006, families often had no option but to turn to moneylenders to meet healthcare costs. He said the expansion of women-led self-help groups under JEEViKA had changed that reality, enabling women to become economically independent and more aware of their rights. “Today, women are no longer compelled to seek help by extending their hands,” he said.
The minister pointed to the recently launched Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme as a key pillar of this shift. Under the programme, financial assistance of Rs 10,000 has been extended to 1.56 crore families to help women start livelihood activities. Additional support of up to Rs 2 lakh, he said, would be provided in the coming days to scale up these enterprises and ensure long-term sustainability.
Senior officials echoed the focus on linking economic empowerment with health and nutrition outcomes. Pankaj Kumar, principal secretary of the rural development department, said poverty, malnutrition and poor health continued to pose serious challenges in rural Bihar. He stressed that empowering women economically was essential to ensuring nutritious food at the household level, adding that the cultivation of nutrition-rich crops could help tackle malnutrition in a sustained way.
Bandana Preyashi, secretary of the social welfare department, said Bihar had the largest JEEViKA network in the country and was the only state where the programme was active in all districts. She linked the initiative to the broader national vision of a developed India by 2047, arguing that progress depended on the health of mothers and children and that JEEViKA provided a viable platform to achieve this goal.
The conclave brought together women from self-help groups across the state, with several JEEViKA members honoured for exemplary work. Officials from state and central government departments, along with representatives from partner organisations including PCI and the Gates Foundation, also addressed the gathering. Health-focused panel discussions were held, and senior administrators praised community institutions for strengthening the reach and impact of the JEEViKA project.
