Patna: With the Bihar Assembly elections approaching, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a series of measures aimed at women, including increased honorariums for Anganwadi workers and assistants, and new financial support schemes.
On Monday, CM Nitish announced via his X (formerly Twitter) account that the honorarium for Anganwadi workers will rise from Rs 7,000 to Rs 9,000 per month, while assistants will see a modest increase from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500.
राज्य में बच्चों एवं गर्भवती महिलाओं के पोषण एवं जीवन स्तर में सुधार करने में आंगनबाड़ी सेविकाओं एवं सहायिकाओं की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका है। उनकी इसी भूमिका का सम्मान करते हुये हमलोगों ने उनके मानदेय में वृद्धि करने का निर्णय लिया है। अब आंगनबाड़ी सेविका का मानदेय 7,000 रूपये से…
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) September 8, 2025
This follows the launch of the Mahila Rojgar Yojana on Sunday, an online initiative through which the state government plans to provide Rs 10,000 to one woman per household. The scheme, with an estimated outlay of Rs 27,000 crore, was cleared in the cabinet on September 2. CM Nitish said the programme aimed to make women financially independent and encourage entrepreneurship. He added that self-help groups, supported by loans from the World Bank, now number over 11 lakh, benefiting around 1.4 crore “Jeevika Didi” women.
Key measures targeting women
Jeevika Didi loans and salaries
On June 21, Kumar announced that interest rates on loans exceeding Rs 3 lakh for women associated with Jeevika self-help groups would fall from 10% to 7%. Salaries of Jeevika employees were also doubled, with block-level employees receiving Rs 50,000 and village-level employees up to Rs 25,000. The scheme, started in 2006, primarily supports women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Domicile policy for women’s reservation
The Nitish cabinet on July 8 implemented a domicile requirement for the 35% horizontal reservation for women in government jobs, limiting the benefit to Bihar residents. Sources indicate that this will apply to upcoming recruitments of around 1 lakh teachers, 6,500 librarians, constables, and engineers.
Asha and Mamta workers’ pay rise
The government increased the salaries of Asha and Mamta workers on July 30, raising Asha pay from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 per month and Mamta pay from Rs 300 to Rs 600 per delivery. This affects roughly 95,000 Asha and 4,600 Mamta workers, with recruitment of 29,000 new Asha workers underway.
Social security pensions
From July, pensions for widows, the elderly, and disabled individuals rose from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month, benefiting approximately 1.09 crore people. Observers suggest the move seeks to regain support from older voters ahead of the elections.
Lakhpati Didi Yojana
Under this 2023 central scheme, women linked to self-help groups receive interest-free loans of up to Rs 5 lakh to start businesses, following skill development training. The initiative aims to foster economic self-reliance among women.
Other welfare measures
The election budget also includes programmes catering to women’s daily needs, such as pink toilets and buses, mobile gyms, women’s markets, girls’ hostels, e-rickshaw subsidies, and Kanya Mandap marriage facilities for poor girls. Hostels and rented accommodation for women constables are also planned to enhance safety and convenience.
Women’s votes are widely regarded as pivotal in Bihar politics. In the 2015 assembly elections, 60.4% of women voted compared to 51.1% of men, contributing to the success of the then JD(U)-RJD alliance. Analysts note that schemes targeting financially vulnerable and less-educated women may be part of a strategic push to secure support ahead of the polls.
