Bihar CM Transfers ₹1,000 Crore to One Million Women Under Mahila Rojgar Yojana

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday presided over a landmark financial inclusion event at his official residence in Patna, personally triggering the transfer of ₹1,000 crore directly into the bank accounts of one million women beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana. Each woman received ₹10,000 instantly through the Direct Benefit Transfer system in the presence of cabinet colleagues, senior bureaucrats, and select Jeevika group representatives.

Addressing media persons immediately after the function, Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar disclosed that an impressive 1.56 crore women across Bihar have already been credited with the seed capital since the scheme’s inception. He underlined that the grant is not a dole but strategic seed money explicitly earmarked for launching micro-enterprises, adding that women who provide verifiable proof of successful utilisation will qualify for escalated support of up to ₹2 lakh in the next phase.

Originally unveiled in September in a virtual ceremony graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the programme faced fierce opposition accusations of being an election-eve inducement. Yet, the record-breaking women voter turnout and the NDA’s overwhelming victory in the subsequent assembly polls have been widely interpreted as a resounding endorsement of the initiative by Bihar’s female electorate.

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Responding to complaints from applicants still awaiting funds, the minister reiterated that mandatory registration with a local Jeevika self-help group remains the only eligibility gateway. State officials are conducting special drives to complete pending enrolments, while allegations of officials demanding bribes were dismissed as baseless propaganda from parties such as the RJD and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj, which themselves face charges of monetising membership.

With this latest disbursement, the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana solidifies its position as one of India’s most ambitious state-led women entrepreneurship schemes, reinforcing Nitish Kumar’s legacy of targeted social engineering and direct economic empowerment as he embarks on an unprecedented fifth consecutive term as Chief Minister.

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