Bihar: PM to transfer ₹10,000 each to 7.5mn women on Sept 26 under CM employment scheme

The scheme provides the first installment of ₹10,000 to one woman in each family to start a business of her choice, with support rising up to ₹2 lakh.

Nearly 7.5 million women in Bihar, cutting across caste and community, will receive ₹10,000 each in their bank accounts on September 26 as initial capital under the Nitish Kumar government’s newly launched ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana’, a scheme designed to promote economic self-reliance among women and boost the rural economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in Purnea earlier this month. (HT Photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will transfer ₹7,500 crore online from Delhi, while chief minister Nitish Kumar will attend a parallel event in Patna. A senior Janata Dal (United) leader described the initiative as the “second phase of women’s empowerment”, building on the Jeevika programme’s success and laying the foundation for women-led development.

Approved by the state cabinet on August 29, the scheme provides the first installment of ₹10,000 to one woman in each family to start a business of her choice, with support rising up to ₹2 lakh depending on the venture’s performance. Earlier this month, Kumar launched the online application portal and flagged off 250 awareness vehicles.

Jeevika CEO Himanshu Sharma said the response has been overwhelming, with more than 1.08 lakh rural women and around 1 million urban women applying. “About 7.5 million women will receive funds on September 26, but the process will continue for others. The Prime Minister will press the button to transfer money directly to beneficiaries,” he said.

The rollout, coming just before the Bihar assembly election schedule is announced, is also being seen as politically significant. Parties across the spectrum are pitching financial schemes to woo women voters — considered caste-neutral and a decisive bloc in Bihar politics.

Despite their lower numbers on voter rolls and an adverse sex ratio of 882 per 1,000 males (as per health ministry’s 2023–24 HMIS report), women have consistently outvoted men in Bihar for two decades. In the 2020 assembly polls, the turnout of women voters was 59.69% against 54.68% for men. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, women accounted for 60% of the total 57.46% turnout.

Meanwhile, the opposition’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has promised a ‘Mai-Bahin Samman Yojana’, offering ₹2,500 per month to women within a month of forming government. The RJD has already begun distributing forms, drawing flak from JD(U) and BJP leaders, who called it an “unethical ploy” on a non-existent scheme.

The Congress launched its ‘Mahila ki Baat, Congress ke Saath’ campaign, pledging ₹2,500 per month and incorporating women’s priorities in its manifesto. Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram accused Nitish Kumar of copying Opposition promises, saying he could have implemented such schemes anytime in the last 20 years.

Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj Party has announced 40 tickets for women out of 243 assembly seats, and loans at 4% interest for livelihood and entrepreneurship. A senior functionary said the party is also planning a women’s credit card–style scheme, combining financial incentives.

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar countered that Bihar’s people recognise the difference between promises and delivery. “Nitish Kumar goes to the people with a report card, while others carry a promise card. Everyone cannot be Nitish Kumar,” he said.

The JD(U) has stepped up efforts to showcase Nitish Kumar’s record since 2005 as the chief minister in advancing women’s empowerment — from greater participation in governance to job reservations, gender parity in secondary education, and breaking stereotypes in rural institutions. Party leaders said the new scheme is a continuation of these efforts and will provide fresh impetus to women-led development and rural transformation.