From Toilets To Tablets: Bihar Women Share Village-Level Priorities

Patna: On Day 24 of the Mahila Samvad programme, women from across Bihar continued to raise pressing issues around health infrastructure, local employment, education and sanitation. The campaign, running since 18 April, has become a key channel for women to share their views directly with local officials and have their expectations recorded on a central platform.

In districts like Kishanganj, Gaya and Muzaffarpur, the focus was on women-friendly public facilities. Several women demanded the construction of public toilets in crowded village markets and near panchayat offices, citing health and hygiene concerns.

“There is nowhere safe for us to go when we visit the main haat. It affects our health,” said Afroza Begum from Dhangarha, Kishanganj.

Health remained a top concern in flood-prone areas, where women asked for round-the-clock availability of doctors and nurses, especially in villages with no functional sub-centres. In many places, the demand for a small hospital with five beds and basic maternity care was echoed.

Women in Rohtas and Munger spoke of the need for more livelihood opportunities. They called for spaces where they can sell pickles, papads, stitched garments and other products, including permanent weekly markets and better packaging support.

“My son now works for the Bihar government, but it all began when I could take a loan through my group to pay for his schooling,” said Vibha Devi from Munger.

Educational concerns were prominent in districts like Katihar and Jamui. Women demanded secondary schools in every panchayat, more teachers, boundary walls for existing schools and digital resources for adolescent girls. In a session in Katihar, Firoza from Kanakpur asked for laptops for high school girls to help bridge the gap between rural and urban learning environments.

In Khagaria and Madhepura, women sought support for small-scale industries, including tailoring training centres, cold storages and grain warehouses. Demands for local government buildings such as community halls, libraries and sewing centres were also frequently raised.

Across districts, several participants requested that the old age and widow pension amounts be revised in line with rising living costs. Others suggested reducing interest rates on SHG loans and increasing corpus grants and seed capital for income-generation activities.

All inputs are being documented via a mobile app and will be shared with district and state authorities. The Mahila Samvad initiative continues to provide rural women a structured way to voice their demands, big and small, and contribute to the development agenda.