NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the women of Bihar to ensure that the RJD and its allies are never allowed to return to power, alleging that their previous rule brought immense hardship, especially for women.
Speaking after launching Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana via video conferencing on Friday, the Prime Minister asserted, “When a woman progresses, the entire society moves forward. When a government formulates policies with women at the centre, the benefits also extend to other segments of society. The transformative impact of the Ujjwala Yojana is now being recognised across the world," he said.
Modi went on to say that Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana has been launched to empower every woman, benefiting around 75 lakh women who have already enrolled in the initiative. He announced that Rs 10,000 had just been transferred simultaneously into the bank accounts of each of these womens.
"When a woman engages in employment or is self-employed, her dreams gain new wings and her respect in society grows.” Second, he highlighted that had the government not resolved to launch the Jan Dhan Yojana eleven years ago, had over 30 crore women not opened bank accounts under the scheme, and had those accounts not been linked to mobile phones and Aadhaar, it would not have been possible to transfer such funds directly into their accounts. He emphasised that without this infrastructure, the money could have been lost in transit, resulting in grave injustice to the beneficiaries.
“Bihar’s women now have two brothers, Nitish and Modi, who are working tirelessly for their betterment,” he said.
Sharing his admiration for the vision behind the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, the Prime Minister emphasised that every family would have at least one woman beneficiary 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.
He further noted that Bihar already has 11 lakh self-help groups actively functioning. “This means a well-established system is already in place. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to launch the Jeevika Nidhi Credit Cooperative Society. The strength of this system will now be integrated with the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, making the scheme effective across Bihar from its very inception,” Modi said.
Highlighting that the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana has further strengthened the Central Government’s Lakhpati Didi campaign, the Prime Minister pointed out that the Central Government has set a target of creating three crore Lakhpati Didis across the country, and over two crore women have already achieved this milestone.
Stressing that the NDA government in Bihar was working for women empowerment, he said that the State would soon have the maximum number of ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in the country.
Highlighting the tangible results of various schemes, the Prime Minister said that the Central government’s initiatives such as the Mudra Yojana, Drone Didi campaign, Bima Sakhi campaign, and Bank Didi campaign are all broadening the scope of employment and self-employment opportunities for women.
He also underscored the joint efforts of the Centre and the Bihar government. Referring to an exhibition currently being held in Bihar, Modi mentioned that it displayed headlines from old newspapers, serving as a stark reminder of the fear that prevailed during the opposition regime in Bihar.
Taking a jibe at the previous non-NDA government—led by the RJD—Modi remarked women of Bihar suffered a lot under the RJD rule... There were no roads, law and order was pathetic... but now women feel safe and secure under the Nitish Kumar government as the rule of law prevails. Hence, they must ensure that RJD and its allies never return to power,” PM Modi said.
Stating that law and order had been restored in Bihar under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, Modi said that women had been the primary beneficiaries of this change. He noted that daughters in Bihar now step out of their homes without fear and can work even late at night. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction at witnessing the large deployment of women police personnel during his visits to Bihar. He called on everyone to pledge that Bihar must never return to the darkness of the past.
Reinforcing his earlier point, he reiterated that when policies are formulated with women at the centre, the benefits extend across society, citing the Ujjwala Yojana as a globally recognised example of transformative change. He highlighted all women-centric and benefiting schemes.