Rs 10,000 each to 10 lakh women: Nitish rolls out next phase of Mahila Rozgar Yojana

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday disbursed Rs 1,000 crore under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana (MMRY), transferring Rs 10,000 to each of 10 lakh women beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer from his official residence, in the presence of cabinet colleagues and senior officials.

Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar said a total of 1.56 crore women have now benefitted from the scheme. He added that beneficiaries who use the initial sum for self-employment may receive further assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh.

Launched in September ahead of the state assembly polls and virtually inaugurated by Narendra Modi, the scheme aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship in Bihar.

According to officials, disbursement has been carried out in batches, continuing even after the election schedule was announced. This has prompted opposition allegations of vote-buying.

Questions have also been raised about applicants who have not received payments despite applying, and allegations that some local officials demanded bribes to process registrations. On this, the minister said that only registered members of local self-help groups under JEEViKA are eligible. He added that those who have not yet registered are being encouraged to complete the process so they may receive benefits.