Patna (Bihar) [India], January 29: In a significant boost to women's empowerment, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Thursday that the state government has begun providing additional financial aid of up to Rs 2 lakh to eligible women entrepreneurs under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, aimed at fostering self-reliance among one woman per household.
In a post on X, CM Nitish Kumar shared a comprehensive update on the flagship scheme.
https://x.com/NitishKumar/status/2016839145134621043?s=20
"All of you know that we have launched the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana' 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," CM said.
The Bihar CM added that 1.56 crore women have received Rs 10,000 each under the 'Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana', and the government has begun providing additional assistance
"In the first phase of this scheme, one woman from each family has been provided with an amount of Rs 10 thousand. So far, the amount has been transferred to the accounts of 1 crore 56 lakh beneficiaries through DBT. The remaining applicants in rural and urban areas will also soon receive the amount in their accounts via DBT, in accordance with the rules. Under this scheme, there is a provision to provide additional financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh as per requirement after assessing 6 months after women start their employment. I am pleased to inform you that action has been initiated to provide additional financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh to the selected beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana. This amount will be given in phases, provided that the amount previously given has been properly utilised for employment purposes. If employment is running well, a lump-sum amount can also be provided as required."
CM Nitish Kumar directed departments to support women beneficiaries and boost employment opportunities.
"The department has 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 to the works of various government departments, such as garment manufacturing, Sudha sales centres, Didi ki Rasoi, etc. With the implementation of this scheme, not only will the position of women become even stronger, but they will also get better employment opportunities within the state, and people will not have to leave the state out of compulsion for employment," CM added.
Under the scheme, each beneficiary will receive an initial grant of Rs. 10,000 via Direct Benefit Transfer, with the possibility of additional financial support of up to Rs. 2 lakh in subsequent phases. The assistance can be utilized in areas of the choice of the beneficiary including agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, tailoring, weaving, and other small-scale enterprises.
The scheme will be community driven in which, along with financial support, community resource persons connected to Self Help Groups will provide training to support their endeavour. To support the sale of their produce, Gramin Haat-Bazaars will be further developed in the State.
The launch of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana will feature a statewide program across multiple administrative levels in the State district, block, cluster, and village, with over 1 crore women witnessing the programme.