Latest news with #JEEViKA
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Industries dept launches ‘Bihar Idea Festival' portal for startups, students
Patna: Industries minister Nitish Mishra on Monday launched the 'Bihar Idea Festival', a portal for the aspiring innovators, entrepreneurs, startups and students, to share their ideas to promote industries in the state. Mishra said the portal would serve as a dedicated digital platform for them to submit their groundbreaking ideas and business concepts to foster inclusive growth, job creation and startup-led economic development. "The aim of this portal is to collect ideas of innovation, solutions and positive change from every corner of Bihar and provide them a strong platform. Through this initiative, more than 10,000 ideas will be invited from 38 districts. Selected ideas will be provided technical support, consultation, training and resources to move forward," the minister added. It is the govt initiative in association with JEEViKA and others. The minister said the department will initiate this programme at the district level from July 24 by conducting awareness campaigns, leading to a 2-day mega event in Patna in the last week of August. "The winners of this event will get a wild card opportunity to the pitching round for seed funding of Rs10 lakh under the state's startup policy," he said. Additional chief secretary (industries) Mihir Kumar Singh said the focus is on making the entrepreneurial ecosystem more inclusive and accessible by promoting grassroots innovation.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ahead of assembly polls, Bihar government decides to set up halls for poor women's wedding, hike pension
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said his government has decided to construct marriage halls in all panchayat areas in the state to facilitate the wedding of poor women. The Cabinet also decided to increase social security pensions to beneficiaries from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month, and reduce prices of meals at canteens, run by self-help groups, from Rs 40 to Rs 20. The state Cabinet took the decisions at a meeting, chaired by Kumar, ahead of the assembly polls due later this year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Learn More Undo "I am delighted to inform you that our government will construct marriage halls in all panchayats to facilitate the marriage ceremonies of daughters from poor families (of marriageable age ) in the rural areas of the state," the CM said in a post on X. The programme was named 'Chief Minister Kanya Vivah Mandap Scheme'. Live Events "These marriage halls will be operated by JEEViKA Didis. The construction of marriage halls at the panchayat level will greatly benefit economically weaker families, said the CM. JEEViKA Didis are women associated with self-help groups under the World Bank-aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project. Aimed at social and economic empowerment of the rural poor, the project is also known as JEEViKA. "The marriage hall will be constructed by gram panchayats at Rs 50 lakh each in 8,053 gram panchayats of the state. The marriage halls will be constructed in a phased manner within a period of five years beginning the current financial year," Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena told reporters. A total cost of Rs 4026 crore would be spent on the construction of marriage halls, he added. The Cabinet also reduced the prices of meals provided at Didi Ki Rasoi' canteens, supported by Jeevika, at all government medical colleges and hospitals as well as various government institutions across the state from Rs 40 to Rs 20 per plate, Kumar said. The state government will compensate Rs 20 per plate, he wrote. The government is committed to providing essential high-quality facilities in all health institutions across the state. We have also decided to implement this arrangement in all district collectorates, sub-divisional offices, block, and circle offices in the state. Instructions have been issued to officials to ensure that people coming from remote rural areas can access pure food at affordable rates, Kumar said in his post on X. The Cabinet decided to set up a committee under the chairmanship of the development commissioner to find ways for disbursing Rs 2 lakh to poor women entrepreneurs. According to the caste survey, 94 lakh out of 2.76 crore families were identified as poor families. The Cabinet also gave its nod to enhance the corpus of bank loan to be given to Jeevika from the current Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh at an interest rate of 7 per cent, the chief secretary said adding that the state government would reimburse the interest rate beyond 7 per cent. The Cabinet decided to increase the social security pension from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 per month to be given to 1.11 crore beneficiaries of various schemes, Meena said and added that the decision would incur an additional financial burden of Rs 9,202 crore on the state exchequer. The Cabinet also decided that gram panchayat can now take up works of up to Rs 10 lakh under MGNREGA. Earlier, the limit was Rs 5 lakh for giving administrative approval for work under MGNREGA, the chief secretary said. "It also approved the proposal to give Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia to the next of kin of members of three-tier panchayat raj system and gram kutchery. The ex-gratia will be given in case of normal deaths of panchayat representatives during their tenure," said the chief secretary.
Hindustan Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ahead of assembly polls, Bihar govt decides to set up halls in panchayats for wedding of poor women
Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said his government has decided to construct marriage halls in all panchayat areas in the state to facilitate the wedding of poor women. Ahead of assembly polls, Bihar govt decides to set up halls in panchayats for wedding of poor women The state Cabibent took the decision at a meeting, chaired by Kumar, ahead of the assembly polls due later this year. 'I am delighted to inform you that our government will construct marriage halls in all panchayats to facilitate the marriage ceremonies of daughters from poor families in the rural areas of the state," the CM said in a post on X. The programme was named 'Chief Minister Kanya Vivah Mandap Scheme'. "These marriage halls will be operated by JEEViKA Didis. The construction of marriage halls at the panchayat level will greatly benefit economically weaker families,' said the CM. JEEViKA Didis are women associated with self-help groups under the World Bank-aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project. Aimed at social and economic empowerment of the rural poor, the project is also known as JEEViKA. The Cabinet also reduced the prices of meals provided at 'Didi Ki Rasoi' canteens, supported by Jeevika, at all government medical colleges and hospitals as well as various government institutions across the state from ₹ 40 to ₹ 20 per plate, Kumar said. The state government will compensate ₹ 20 per plate, he wrote. 'The government is committed to providing essential high-quality facilities in all health institutions across the state. We have also decided to implement this arrangement in all district collectorates, sub-divisional offices, block, and circle offices in the state. Instructions have been issued to officials to ensure that people coming from remote rural areas can access pure food at affordable rates,' Kumar said. Besides, the Cabinet approved a proposal of the Social Welfare Department to increase pension of senior citizens, widows and people with disability by ₹ 700 per month. The beneficiaries will get enhanced pensions of ₹ 1,100 from July. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
JD(U) takes credit for caste census, says nation adopts Nitish's vision
Patna: Amid the political scramble to claim credit for the caste census, the JD(U) has released a new poster virtually crediting itself entirely for the initiative, following the Narendra Modi govt's announcement on Wednesday to conduct caste enumeration alongside the national census. The JD(U) posters, now visible across the state capital, read, "Nitish ne dikhaya, ab desh ne apnaya" (What was envisioned by Nitish has now been adopted by the country). While expressing gratitude to the PM for making a "historic decision" to carry out the caste count, the poster highlights that the enumeration of every caste will help formulate a national policy. Political analyst Ajay Kumar Jha said with caste remaining a central issue in Indian politics, every party is eager to claim ownership. "Well, Nitish may have been advocating for the caste census, but no party objected when the former Grand Alliance govt in Bihar decided to conduct a caste survey. Even the BJP, then in opposition, supported it," Jha told TOI on Friday. "In fact, caste continues to be a major factor in Bihar's political landscape and with assembly elections approaching, no party wants to be left behind," he added, denying any internal rivalry within the NDA over credit for the initiative. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Mana Cresta Premium 2.5 & 3 BHK @ ₹1.27 Cr* onwards | Off Sarjapur Road Mana Group Get Quote Undo Interestingly, several of the Modi govt's schemes over the past 11 years appear to have been inspired by initiatives introduced in Bihar under Nitish. Notably, the Rashtriya Gramin Aajivika Mission (National Rural Livelihood Mission) is said to have been modelled after Bihar's widely acclaimed JEEViKA programme, aimed at empowering the rural poor. During his Pragati Yatra, Nitish repeatedly told crowds that the Centre's Aajivika initiative drew its framework from JEEViKA. Analysts further pointed out that other central schemes, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and the SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana), were inspired by Bihar's Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal and Har Ghar Bijli Yojana. Likewise, the Centre's Amrit Sarovar Yojana echoes the state government's Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali programme. "Well, several projects initiated by the Bihar govt, such as JEEViKA and the Nal-Jal Yojana, have been adopted not only by the Centre but also by other states," said political analyst Vidyarthi Vikas on Friday. "Nitish is right in saying that what Bihar does is often later embraced by the Centre," he said. However, Vikas added, "As far as the caste census is concerned, RJD chief Lalu Prasad also campaigned extensively for it, alongside Nitish. More recently, it became a core campaign issue for RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, which led to Bihar's caste survey. So, credit must be shared between Nitish Kumar and Lalu/Tejashwi for the caste census."
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
In Bihar, women script a tale of empowerment with goat rearing
Poor, marginalised women in India lack the many tools needed for economic empowerment, especially in states such as Bihar. So, it comes as a story of hope and resilience to learn that a project in Bihar has provided crucial livelihood support for women in form of asset management of livestock, in this case goats, in the process raising a substantial cohort of para-veterinarians. Small livestock is an important economic asset for small and marginal farming households, with women playing a key role in the care and upkeep of small livestock: The project demonstrates how small livestock can transform the lives of women through innovative planning and skill development Project Mesha implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and supported by the Gates Foundation in Bihar has led to goat rearing becoming a key pathway for women's economic and social empowerment. Studies show that when given control of their finances, women not only improve their status within homes, but they also have greater ability to make decisions and increased power to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. This includes food to improve nutrition, schooling for children, visiting a doctor, or even building a toilet. The project supports the development and training of women pashu sakhis (friends of animals): Fee-based health service workers for small ruminants providing vaccinations, de-worming, castration, and other services. Technical training apart, the women receive gender sensitisation and capacity building focused on enhancing women's agency, access, and control over productive resources and resulting income, as well as their mobility and decision-making at the household and community levels. Today, 87% of women in the project solely decide how to spend their earnings. In 2021, Project Mesha, in partnership with the state rural livelihoods mission (JEEViKA), scaled up across 20 districts (out of the total of 38 districts in Bihar), benefiting over 700,000 women. Using the existing self-help group (SHG) forum established and nurtured by JEEViKA, the programme identifies and trains women on how to vaccinate, deworm, and provide other preventive care to goats in their community. It has created a cadre of community-based women para-veterinarians dedicated to preventive animal health services, improving the productivity of goat flocks. The success of such projects, not just in Bihar, but across rural India lies in enabling women with deep ties with the community to steer the change. In the Mesha project, it has rightly also involved building male champions for pashu sakhis by explaining to them that for women to make more money, they need to be freed from some household responsibilities. An interesting game, which could be replicated in other aspects of livelihood enhancement, is one designed by the project where men and women place an equal-sized stone for every task done throughout the day on a weighing scale. This demonstrates how much work a woman does in a day. This simple game facilitates discussion of the unequal work burden of women and how men can support change through shifts in household responsibilities. AKF CEO Tinni Sawhney says, 'This exercise brings to light the invisible, without even having to speak about gender norms.' There are currently 6,085 pashu sakhis reaching over 700,000 households with diverse services across 20 districts of the state. In Muzaffarpur district, where the project was initiated in 2016, almost 60% of pashu sakhis have gone from zero income to ₹3,000 to ₹12,000 per month. In 2023, a women-led and women-managed goat producer company (Mesha Mahila Bakri Palak Producer Company) was set up to ensure the sustainability of interventions and support the collective procurement of inputs and sale of goats. AKF and JEEViKA plan to support the establishment of a cadre of 10,000 pashu sakhis across Bihar. Going forward, the programme plans to incorporate a climate adaptation lens. Pashu sakhis help communities build resilience against the climate crisis. Another vital input is that by focusing on disease prevention, the programme minimises and eliminates the use of antibiotics in goat flocks, directly contributing to a one-health approach. Pilots for fodder also focus on hydroponics and fodder silage strengthening climate resilience. Ragini Devi, a pashu sakhi from the first cohort of pashu sakhis trained under the programme proudly states, 'We have gone down far on the path, there is no looking back, we have made our homes stronger and we know that our work will also make our communities stronger'.
