Bihar: Nitish Kumar launches financial scheme to boost women’s self-employment

Under the scheme, eligible women will receive an initial installment of ₹10,000 to kick-start businesses or employment of their choice.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday approved the launch of the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana’ to provide financial assistance to one woman from every family to start self-employment ventures.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (Santosh Kumar/ HT Photo)

Briefing media persons after a special cabinet meeting, chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena said that under the scheme, eligible women will receive an initial installment of ₹10,000 to kick-start businesses or employment of their choice.

“After six months, we will conduct an assessment, potentially providing an additional aid of up to ₹2 lakh based on performance and need. The rural development department will oversee the programme with assistance from the urban development and housing department, as and when required. The application window for the financial grant will open soon, and fund transfers to bank accounts are slated to begin next month,” Meena said.

The announcement is seen as a counter to the opposition INDIA bloc’s ‘Mai Behan Maan Yojana’, which promises a monthly stipend of ₹2,500 to women.

The state cabinet met earlier in the day amid escalating welfare promises from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc as Bihar gears up for polls later this year. The opposition alliance, led by Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has also pledged 200 units of free electricity per household, prompting the state government to roll out its own scheme offering 125 units free starting last month.

The chief minister highlighted the scheme’s focus on women empowerment in a post on X, and said, “Since forming the government in November 2005, we have undertaken large-scale efforts for women empowerment. Several important steps have been taken to make women strong and self-reliant. Now, women are not only contributing to Bihar’s progress through their hard work but also strengthening their families’ economic conditions. Advancing this mission, we have now taken an important and unprecedented decision in the interest of women, which will have positive long-term results.”

Kumar emphasised that the scheme’s primary objective is to provide financial assistance to one woman from every family in the state to start businesses of their preference.

“I am confident that the implementation of this scheme will not only further strengthen the position of women but also provide better employment opportunities within the state, eliminating the need for people to migrate out of compulsion for jobs,” the CM said.

To support the initiative, the government plans to develop ‘haat bazaars’ (local markets) across rural and urban areas for women to sell their products, fostering local entrepreneurship and reducing migration.

Meena, accompanied by development commissioner Pratyaya Amrit and rural development secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh, said that detailed guidelines of the scheme would be issued by the rural development department shortly.

Political analysts view this as part of a broader pre-election strategy by the Janata Dal (United)-led NDA government to appeal to women voters, a key electoral base in Bihar. The INDIA bloc’s cash transfer promise, first floated by Tejashwi Yadav in December 2024 and reiterated by the Congress in May 2025, has been a cornerstone of the opposition’s campaign to address economic hardships faced by women from deprived sections, the analysts said. Similarly, the electricity sop tussle underscores the competitive populism at play, with the opposition accusing the government of mimicking their ideas.