Nirmala Devi shares her quiet satisfaction while sitting outside her freshly painted home in Kalyanpur’s Rampura village, ahead of the Chhath Puja. Her reason for celebration? A ₹10,000 credit under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana, recently deposited into her bank account. This government loan scheme is designed to foster women’s entrepreneurship.
The Nitish Kumar government’s “Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana” is set to provide ₹10,000 to each of over 12.1 million women for self-employment. This initiative is seen as a direct response to the opposition INDIA bloc’s “Mai Behan Maan Yojana,” which pledges a monthly stipend of ₹2,500 to eligible women.
Nirmala Devi commented on the loan, “This is a good amount. It will help us expand our business. However, the government should also fulfill its promise of a higher monthly salary for Asha workers.”
This ₹10,000 cash transfer, with the possibility of an additional ₹2 lakh loan later, is the latest in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s efforts to cultivate a dedicated female voter base in Bihar. Previously, Kumar had implemented 50% reservations for women in local governance and primary teaching jobs, alongside a 35% quota in state government positions.
Article 15(3) of the Constitution validates such affirmative actions, stating, “Nothing in this article shall prevent the state from making any special provision for women and children.”
Furthermore, the Nitish government has doubled the honorarium for 140,000 Jeevika Didi program beneficiaries and increased the monthly honorarium for anganwadi workers from ₹7,000 to ₹9,000, among other women-focused initiatives.
However, the key question remains: can these welfare measures effectively combat anti-incumbency and the growing calls for political change after nearly two decades of Kumar’s rule?
Nitish Kumar, representing the Kurmi caste which constitutes less than 3% of Bihar’s population, has successfully built a substantial vote bank among women.
The statewide prohibition on alcohol, implemented on April 5, 2016, was another strategic move by Kumar to garner support from women voters. Asha Kumari, a shopkeeper from Darbhanga’s Barheta, noted, “While men in the villages are unhappy about the higher prices of liquor due to the ban, women are relieved not to suffer the consequences of drunk husbands.”
Bansi Gupta, a tea stall owner in Jatmalpur, expressed a desire for change, stating, “After 20 years, someone else should lead.” However, he added, “My wife, though, says she will vote for Kumar.”
In Rampura’s Ladaura ward, labourer Sunil Kumar Ram discussed local politics, while his wife, Divya Bharti, a recipient of the ₹10,000 loan, shared her plans to start a poultry farm. A neighbor remarked humorously, “Now, women are so empowered and affluent that they are the rulers of society.”
The opposition, however, has voiced skepticism about these schemes. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav criticized the NDA government’s initiative, stating, “Nitish Kumar has provided a loan that he intends to recover. Our offer of ₹2,500 monthly is about social justice.”
Yadav further announced that if the INDIA bloc secures power in Bihar, approximately 200,000 “community mobilisers” from the “Jeevika Didis” program will be granted permanent positions.
CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya suggested that the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) plans to launch a campaign highlighting the limitations of the Kumar government’s recent populist measures.
“We must inform women voters that ₹10,000 is not a permanent allowance; it’s simply a loan,” Bhattacharya stated.
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