News Brief
Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar (Photo: Nitish Kumar/Facebook)
The Bihar Cabinet on Friday (29 August) approved the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana to promote women’s economic empowerment, reported The Hindu.
Under the scheme, one woman from each family will receive Rs 10,000 as the first instalment to start a business of her choice.
The Rural Development Department will implement the scheme.
Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena explained that after six months, authorities will evaluate the women’s ventures.
“Following the evaluation of the performance of women’s entrepreneurial ventures after six months, an additional Rs 2 lakh will be given as grant to the women entrepreneurs,” he said.
“They [entrepreneurs] don’t need to return it [to the government] as the amount given to them [entrepreneurs] is a kind of grant or economic assistance," he said.
The government will transfer the first instalment directly into women’s bank accounts from September 2025. To boost sales of women’s products, authorities will also develop haat bazars in villages and towns.
The Chief Secretary recalled earlier measures for women, including 50 per cent reservation in local bodies (2006–07), liquor prohibition in 2016, free uniforms, bicycles, scholarships, and higher pension support. Currently, 1.12 crore women benefit from the pension scheme.