7 months ago
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Leading a achromatic goat to her location successful Kafarpur colony successful Bihar’s Jehanabad district, 58-year-old Kiran Devi hears men discussing politics, and pauses to connection her 2 bits connected the topic. “Indira Gandhi showed the state that a pistillate could lead, but Nitish Kumar gave america the accidental to lead,” she says, summing up the Bihar Chief Minister’s bequest successful a sentence.
The goat is Ms. Devi’s newest acquisition, a acquisition made utilizing the ₹10,000 that she received nether the Nitish Kumar-led government’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana past month. Under the scheme, ₹10,000 each has been fixed to 1.2 crore women betwixt the ages of 18 and 60 years who are associated with Jeevika, a World Bank-aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project. So far, Rs 12,100 crore — astir 4% of Bihar’s yearly fund — has been transferred into the slope accounts of 1.21 crore women beneficiaries. Of much than 7 crore voters successful Bihar, astir 3.5 crore are women, meaning that astir a 3rd of them person benefited from the scheme.
Ms. Devi is simply a Chouhan, an highly backward people (EBC) voter, and her colony falls nether the reserved Assembly constituency of Makhdumpur. The past clip that Mr. Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) occupied the spot was successful 2010 erstwhile erstwhile Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, past a JD(U) member, won from here. This time, the spot is being contested by the JD(U)’s state successful the ruling NDA, the Lok Janshakti Party, and Ms. Devi is wide that her ballot volition beryllium successful its favour.
Changing lives
Seeing her talk, different women besides articulation in. Kaanti Devi, 48, her manus smeared with the cow-dung she had been mixing, pipes successful to recognition Mr. Kumar for making it harmless for women to determination around. “Mela gaye, mithai khaye (Went to the fair, ate sweets),” she says, laughing portion arsenic she adjusts the pallu connected her head. On a superior note, she adds, she excessively bought goats. The women plunge into a treatment of however overmuch they expect to summation from their caller purchases by the extremity of the year, explaining that goats springiness commencement doubly a year. If reared well, they could gain a neat sum for their owners.
The authorities has promised to grant ₹2 lakh to high-performing beneficiaries who negociate to usage the wealth arsenic superior for their businesses. However, the criteria for assessing specified beneficiaries has not been spelt retired yet.
Financial viability
According to a elder Bihar authorities official, the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana had been successful the works for astir six months and is the effect of an aggravated statement wrong the government. Several models were studied, including the Maharashtra government’s Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana that is wide credited for the NDA’s latest triumph successful the State. That was strategy launched conscionable up of the predetermination successful June 2024 and offers ₹₹1,500 per period to eligible women. Lately, though, it has tally into unsmooth weather, causing a superior imbalance successful the Maharashtra budget.
“Both ideas were weighed: monthly payouts to the beneficiaries verses a one-time payment. After study, it was settled that the 2nd exemplary is financially much viable,” a elder Bihar authorities authoritative said.
Financially viable oregon not, the strategy is proving to beryllium a game-changer for the women themselves. It besides helps to further physique up the caste-neutral constituency of women voters that Nitish Kumar has created for himself, with his assorted women-centric schemes, from expanding preservation for them successful panchayats to scholarships and fiscal assistance for miss students. The Jeevika scheme, for instance, gave galore women currency successful their ain 3+hands for the archetypal time, granting them a dependable successful decisions made some wrong and extracurricular the house.
Expanding horizons
Chander Deep Das, 65, is holding distant connected who helium believes has a amended accidental astatine winning successful the Kurhani Assembly spot successful Muzaffarpur district, wherever determination is simply a nonstop contention betwixt the incumbent BJP MLA Kedar Prasad Gupta and the RJD’s Bablu Kushwaha. His wife, Bina Rani inches closer. “Nitish Kumar has fixed america truthful galore facilities for each girls and boys,” she says, detailing the stationary assistance that the authorities provides for students.
She pauses for a infinitesimal to bargain a glimpse astatine her hubby and past continues. Jeevika, she says, enabled her to question beyond the threshold of her home. She has present gone to places wherever she ne'er thought she would. Has she been to the State superior of Patna, astir 70 km distant from her home? “Maybe I will,” she says, smiling. She bought a cattle with the wealth fixed by the government, adding ₹25,000 from her ain savings. “Not immoderate cow, this is an Oswal,” she adds, proudly posing adjacent to her caller purchase.
Opposition committedness whitethorn beryllium excessively late
In its manifesto released connected Tuesday (October 28), the Mahagathbandhan has besides projected to supply fiscal assistance for women nether the Mai-Behin Maan Yojana. The Opposition confederation has promised ₹2,500 per period from December 1, amounting to ₹30,000 annually. It has besides promised imperishable jobs for Jeevika assemblage mobilisers. The announcement comes a small precocious successful the campaign, however, and whitethorn find it hard to vie with the ₹10,000 that has already reached a 3rd of the State’s women voters.
There are complaints from galore women that they person been near out. Interestingly, however, the women are not blaming the Chief Minister for their omission. “Modi jaane kyun nahi diya,” says Rekha Devi, a Dalit elector successful the Belaganj Assembly constituency successful Gaya district. Her choler is directed astatine Prime Minister Narendra Modi who released the outgo for the archetypal radical of women connected September 26. There is besides speculation that the sum volition person to beryllium paid backmost to the authorities with interest.
In Darbhanga, 35-year-old Sarita Yadav scoffs astatine the ₹10,000 sum. She runs a tiny stall from her home, selling samosa and chowmein, and has bought stocks for her stall with the money. “₹10,000 ka koyi worth hai aaj ke clip main? (Is determination immoderate worth of ₹10,000 successful today’s time)?” she asks. Her girl Kanchan, who is studying successful Class 12, stands by, silently smiling. As soon arsenic her parent leaves, she speaks out. “I volition ballot for Nitish, successful the adjacent election, erstwhile I volition go eligible to vote. After all, helium gave america schoolhouse bags, uniform, stationary to study,” she says, her dependable not much than a murmur.
