Process started for up to ₹2L aid under Mahila Rojgar Yojana: Nitish

CM Nitish Kumar announced financial aid of up to ₹2 lakh for women under the Mahila Rojgar Yojana to boost self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday announced that work had been initiated to provide additional financial assistance of up to ₹2 lakh to the selected woman beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and others at an event in Patna, Thursday (SANTOSH KUMAR/HT)

In his post on X, which is the place the CM makes all his major announcements, Kumar said the amount would be given in phases, provided that the amount previously given had been properly utilised for employment purposes.

“If the employment is running well, a lump sum amount can also be provided as per requirement. It will strengthen the position of women and help them get better employment opportunities within the state. People will not have to leave the state out of compulsion for employment,” he added.

The CM said the department had been directed to ensure proper arrangements for the marketing of goods produced by the beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.

“Along with this, these beneficiaries should also be linked with various government departments such as garment manufacturing, Sudha sales centers, Didi ki Rasoi, etc.,” he added.

Before election, ₹10,000 to one unemployed woman created a lot of controversy, as the Opposition termed it as the ‘cash for vote’ game changer initiative. The government, however, portrayed it as an extension of its consistent policy for women empowerment and all eyes will be on how it unfolds to boost entrepreneurship and generate employment opportunities.

Kumar said so far, the amount of ₹10,000 had been transferred to the accounts of 15.6 million beneficiaries through DBT, while the remaining applicants in rural and urban areas would also soon get it.

“Under this scheme, there is a provision to provide additional financial assistance of up to ₹2 lakh as per requirement on assessment six months after the women start their enterprise,” he added.

The operational framework of the scheme will be important to achieve the desired goals with such huge investment. The caste-based socio-economic survey conducted in 2023 had identified 9.4 million poor families. With the Mahilq Rojgar Yojana, the government wants to use women-led development to tackle the twin issue of unemployment and poverty.

“The scheme is to empower and make the women of the state self-reliant. The main objective of this scheme is to provide financial assistance to the women of the state for self-employment, so that one woman from each family can establish herself as an entrepreneur,” the CM said.