NEW DELHI: The launch of Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana on Thursday was more than another welfare announcement. Beamed in via video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi listened to women from across the state, turning the occasion into a mix of testimony, celebration, and political messaging—just weeks before Bihar heads into elections.
Rs 10000 was deposited into the account of 75 lakh women under the scheme in one of the biggest such welfare step taken by the state government.
The women, many stepping into business for the first time, during their interaction with PM Modi spoke of small loans, bigger dreams, and how government schemes had altered their daily lives.
Several affectionately called Modi “Bhaiya”—a signal of the comfort and connection they felt.
Reeta Devi of Bhojpur, who runs a poultry business, said the Rs 10,000 seed support would let her buy 100 more chickens. But she also pointed to wider change: “We now live in a pucca house, drink clean water, cook on gas, and even save on electricity. It feels like a new life altogether.”
For West Champaran’s Ranjeeta Kazi, the Rozgar Yojana felt like a festival. “With Rs 10,000 I will invest in millet farming, and with Rs 2 lakh, I dream of becoming a lakhpati,” she said, tying her ambitions to the Swadeshi push.
From Gaya, Noorjahan Khatun spoke of a shift within her own home. “Earlier families opposed us going out, even husbands used to hit us. But today, because of self-reliance, they value us. Earlier we considered husbands our sampatti, now they consider us lakhpatis.”
And in Purnea, sweet-maker Putul Devi drew a smile from Modi when he quipped about the “politics done on Jalebi.”
In his address, Modi underlined that development had to be holistic—linking housing, healthcare, electricity, and livelihoods—and urged the women to spread the word: “Go to at least one area in your village and tell others about the initiatives.”
For the NDA, the scheme is being positioned as a potential game-changer. With 75 lakh women directly eligible for support, and their families indirectly touched, the programme’s reach runs deep into village households. Women voters—already a decisive bloc in Bihar politics—are seen as central to the alliance’s prospects.
The ruling NDA is hoping that stories of dignity and empowerment, like those shared on Thursday, will translate into votes for the alliance when the polling begins.
