Tejashwi takes NDA’s Jeevika didi scheme to woo voters; promises 30k salary, free loans

Patna: Taking a cue from NDA’s Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana scheme to reach out to the vast women voter base across Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday promised permanent govt jobs to Jeevika didis with a monthly salary of Rs 30,000 and interest-free loan, if the INDIA bloc is voted to power.

While it remains to be seen how the voters react to the announcement, political commentators see this as an attempt to smartly counter PM Narendra Modi-launched scheme where Rs 10,000 each has been credited to the bank accounts of 1.27 crore women.


“This is my commitment. What I promise, I deliver, and this promise too will be fulfilled. There won’t be any compromise,” Tejashwi told reporters on Wednesday, announcing his plan for the approximately 2 lakh Jeevika Didis.

The idea is said to be an attempt to reach some 1.45 crore Jeevika Didis in the state, with barely a fortnight left for the commencement of assembly elections. The first phase of polling will be held on Nov 6.

Out of the total 7.43 crore electorates in Bihar, the number of women electorates stands at 3.50 crore, amply indicating their political might.

The Bihar govt has been spearheading the World Bank-aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), locally known as ‘Jeevika’, with the objective of social and economic empowerment of the rural poor. Women associated with the project are called ‘Jeevika Didis’.

A ‘community mobiliser’ acts as a facilitator for self-help groups (SHGs). Their main responsibility is to facilitate SHG meetings, prepare books of records, and they are also responsible for the overall nurturing of such groups.

Alleging that the Jeevika Didis are being “over-exploited” under the present NDA regime, Tejashwi also announced plans to waive off interest on loans taken by them, grant interest-free loans for two years, provide a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 for performing extra official work, and offer insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh. “The NDA govt is not bothered about the welfare of ‘Jeevika Didis’, but if we are voted to power, we will grant them the status of govt employee with a monthly salary of Rs 30,000,” Tejashwi promised. He also promised to regularise the services of contractual staff in the state if they come to power.

The Nitish Kumar govt has promised additional financial support of up to Rs 2 lakh to women for self-employment and livelihood opportunities.

Women voters have proved to be “game-changers” every election in Bihar and largely helped the NDA in electoral politics. Now, the opposition is leaving no stone unturned to get their support by offering a variety of sops to them. Prior to this, the opposition alliance promised to provide a monthly payment of Rs 2,500 to the head woman of each family under the ‘Mai-Bahin Maan Yojana’ and financial support for graduate and postgraduate female students. This is in addition to fee waivers or subsidies of up to 75% for girls in medical and engineering programmes, and free bus and train passes for female students.

Earlier this month, Tejashwi, considered the opposition CM face, also promised a govt job to every household and pledged to introduce the legislation within just 20 days of taking office to fulfil his commitment. Although the rival NDA mocked it as “impossible”, the announcement triggered a hot debate among the youth as unemployment remains a major issue of concern, with more than 50 lakh workers migrating out of the state every year in search of petty jobs. An official report says there are some 2.76 crore households in Bihar.