The Bihar government has invited applications from women for the second round of financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana’ (Chief Minister Women Employment Scheme).
More than 1.56 crore women have benefited from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s flagship self-employment scheme, under which the government provided an initial assistance of Rs 10,000 each. To further promote the businesses, eligible beneficiaries can apply for the next phase of assistance till 31 December.
Women from both rural and urban areas are eligible to apply. Once an application is approved, authorities will carry out on-ground verification to assess the progress of their businesses. Thereafter, women entrepreneurs will be provided financial support of up to Rs 2 lakh in installments to expand their businesses. The government is also preparing a training model to further enhance entrepreneurial skills among women.
According to Jeevika, applications of around 10 lakh women are still pending. The department is re-verifying these applications, and the funds will be transferred once necessary corrections are made.
A technical flaw has also surfaced in the implementation of the scheme, with around 400 men across the state having received Rs 10,000 each in their bank accounts. However, due to the absence of clear recovery guidelines, no strict action has been taken so far.
While some recipients have voluntarily returned the money, others have claimed that the amount has already been spent. Several of them have also stated that the government should first return their votes if it wants the money back.