Patna: A one-day state-level workshop on the Prayas Individual Enterprise Scheme was held in Patna on June 11, under the joint initiative of Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Committee (Jeevika), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), and Women World Banking. The event focused on empowering rural women, especially Self Help Group (SHG) members, to establish small-scale enterprises through personal loans and structured guidance.
Senior officials including Himanshu Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of Jeevika, Satyaki Rastogi, Chief General Manager of SIDBI, and Kalpana Ayyan, Regional Head of Women World Banking, addressed the gathering. The event witnessed the participation of district-level project managers, cluster-level association leaders, and SHG members from across Bihar.
The Prayas Yojana aims to extend financial inclusion beyond group-based models by offering individual loans ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000. These loans, facilitated through cluster-level associations, support women aspiring to venture into tailoring, shopkeeping, animal husbandry, food processing, and other micro-enterprises.
In his address, Jeevika CEO Himanshu Sharma stressed the need to foster financial self-reliance among women. “We have achieved success in group-based financing, but the time has come to create space for individual identity and self-reliance,” he said, noting that SHG loan repayment stands at over 99 percent, reinforcing banks’ confidence in the model.
SIDBI’s Satyaki Rastogi emphasised that women in Bihar are taking significant strides in economic participation. He called for a more simplified and sensitive loan disbursal system, ensuring wider accessibility for aspiring women entrepreneurs.
Kalpana Ayyan of Women World Banking highlighted the rising economic agency of women in rural India. She shared that Rs 7 crore in loans had already been disbursed in four districts under the scheme and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to strengthening direct financial access for women.
Participants also shared their personal journeys. Sadhna Devi from Patna, for instance, used a Rs 1,00,000 loan to start an agarbatti (incense stick) manufacturing unit and now employs three other women.
The workshop concluded with a resolution to conduct awareness drives and community-level training across Bihar. Cluster-level associations will be tasked with identifying women ready for enterprise and supporting them through mentorship and access to financial services.
