The government of Bihar, led by Nitish Kumar, has launched a massive financial campaign to strengthen its base of loyal female voters in the run-up to the 2019 election. The Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana guarantees a ₹10,000 credit for self-employment to more than 12.1 million women. This goes against the opposition INDIA bloc’s “Mai Behan Maan Yojana,” which gives women an unconditional monthly stipend of ₹2,500.
For ladies like Nirmala Devi from the village of Rampura in Kalyanpur, the ₹10,000 credit that just showed up in her bank account is a quiet moment of happiness before Chhath Puja. “This is a good amount.” She said, “It will help us grow our business.” However, she also voiced a common concern and urged the government to keep its pledge to pay Asha (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers more money each month.
The Plan Behind the Sops
The ₹10,000 cash transfer, which could lead to a ₹2 lakh loan later on, is the newest in Kumar’s long list of political actions that focus on women. Article 15(3) of the Constitution gives these rules their legal basis. Kumar used to set aside 50% of positions in panchayats, municipalities, and elementary schools for women, and 35% of jobs in the state government.
The government has also recently raised honorariums. For example, the salary for 140,000 people in the Jeevika Didi program has doubled, and the monthly compensation for anganwadi workers has gone from ₹7,000 to ₹9,000.
These programs are an important part of the Chief Minister’s social engineering, which has historically depended on his strong popularity among women. Many women credit him with the state’s booze ban, which went into effect in 2016. Asha Kumari, a merchant in Darbhanga, said, “The men in the villages are upset about the high price of liquor because of the ban, but the women are happy that they don’t have to deal with drunk husbands.”
The Opposition’s Counterattack and Voter Sentiment
Kumar is under a lot of pressure to leave office after over twenty years, even though he has focused efforts. Sunil Kumar Ram, a laborer, talked about local politics, while his wife, Divya Bharti, who was benefiting from the new program, talked eagerly about her plans for a poultry farm. A neighbor joked, “Now that women are so powerful and wealthy, they are the masters of society.”
However, the Opposition is quick to call the plan a political ploy. Tejashwi Yadav, the head of the RJD, said that the program was bad and that “What Nitish Kumar has given is a loan.” And he will get it back. But what we’re giving (₹2,500 a month) is social justice.
Dipankar Bhattacharya, the head of the CPI (ML), said that the Grand Alliance would start a campaign to tell women voters that the ₹10,000 is a loan, not an allowance. He said that the money is not helpful when the rural population is already in debt. Afzal Amanullah, a former Bihar Home Secretary and political pundit, agreed with this doubt and said, “The ₹10,000 sop is really a loan.” If the Opposition does a good job of fighting the sops, I don’t think this will make a difference.
RK Mishra, a former DGP and now a Jan Suraaj candidate, went even farther and called the sops “bribes,” saying that Kumar is behaving out of “frustration” as he loses ground. Most experts feel that these new steps are the Chief Minister’s last chance to win what is predicted to be a tight election.