Bihar has change into the primary state within the nation to have 10 lakh self-help teams (SHGs) managed by girls. The teams have been functioning below Jeevika, a World Financial institution-supported poverty alleviation programme operational within the state since 2007 to empower girls and make them self-reliant.
Arvind Kumar Choudhary, principal secretary, rural improvement division, mentioned that the Jeevika mannequin has ensured empowerment of ladies in a giant manner. “It has been a challenge nearer to the guts of chief minister Nitish Kumar and the Jeevika mannequin has ensured monetary inclusion and empowerment of ladies in a giant manner. Even through the Covid-19 pandemic, the ladies of Jeevika labored as financial institution correspondents and ensured over Rs 543 crore price transactions via POS machines to take banking to the doorsteps of the needy folks within the remotest corners of the state. Moreover, it reached out to 1.09 crore households to create consciousness, prolong a serving to hand for reduction work, meals safety, work on sanitation and so on.,” he added.
Bihar rural livelihood promotion Society (BRLPS), an autonomous society below the agricultural improvement division of the state authorities, has been designated because the State rural livelihoods Mission by the federal government to scale up the ‘Jeevika’ mannequin in all 534 blocks of 38 districts below the nationwide rural livelihood Mission (NRLM). It has promoted sustainable livelihood and monetary inclusion via women-based group establishments and enterprises.
Balamurugan D, mission director, NRLM mentioned that almost 1.20-crore girls had acquired concerned with over 10 lakh SHGs. “They’ve scripted a brand new saga of ladies empowerment, which is seen within the rural areas. They’ve availed Rs 12200 crore price mortgage from banks thus far to begin their very own income-generating actions and reimbursement has been well timed. They’ve repaid mortgage price Rs 5,000 crore to avail contemporary mortgage. Additionally they have Rs 1,350 crore price financial savings for inter-loaning amongst its members,” he added.
Two years in the past, chief minister Nitish Kumar had additionally counseled the way in which girls ran their SHGs and the large enhance in financial institution credit score to them. “Large pictures take enormous cash from banks and run away from the nation, whereas these girls operating SHGs make well timed funds. This exhibits how dedicated and disciplined they’re in monetary issues,” he had mentioned.
Balamurugan mentioned that these SHGs below Jeevika programme have been serving to over 45 lakh households through the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Throughout Covid-19 pandemic, Jeevika has benefited 45.5 lakh households via its varied actions, corresponding to manufacturing of two.14-crore masks, operating ‘Didi in Rasoi’ retailers to serve meals to quarantined folks and in-patients, disbursal of Rs 350 crore price mortgage to village organisations for meals safety and well being threat mitigation, operating community-led rural retail outlets for provide of necessities and organising group professionals for in depth campaigns,” he mentioned.
Moreover monetary inclusion of a robust girls workforce, the federal government has additionally been utilizing their companies for varied social campaigns and initiatives of the training, well being and welfare departments.
“This can be a mannequin that may take Bihar miles to realize self-reliance within the true sense, one thing that India goals to realize. Bihar has proven the way it may very well be accomplished. This has been a really optimistic initiative. All that’s wanted is to combine the actions of SHGs and provides them additional alternatives for scale as much as additionally change into employment mills within the rural areas, which might additional support the state financial system,” mentioned former director of AN Sinha Institute of Social Research.