Patna: A state-level women’s conference demanding debt relief will be held in Patna on July 31 under the banner of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA). The conference will take place at IMA Hall and will focus on mounting resistance to the growing crisis of microfinance debt and loan-related exploitation across Bihar.
AIPWA state secretary Anita Sinha said that women from several districts will participate in the conference, which aims to spotlight the predatory practices of private moneylenders and microfinance institutions. The gathering will call on the government to address these issues by considering six concrete demands raised by the women.
Among the key speakers at the event will be CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, noted economist and social worker Jean Dreze, economist Kalpana Wilson, Dr Vidyarthi Vikas, and AIPWA National General Secretary Meena Tiwari.
“This movement is not just about economic injustice, but also about the social impact of debt traps that women across Bihar are caught in,” said Anita Sinha. The conference aims to mobilise a mass movement around debt relief and financial dignity for women.
Organisers say that the demands will focus on regulatory oversight of microfinance companies, cancellation of exploitative loans, and the establishment of state-supported alternatives for financial inclusion.
