Tejashwi Yadav's big bet on Jeevika Didis: Why is the scheme back in focus ahead of Bihar elections?

The Rashtriya Janata Dal has announced pre-election sops for women voters

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday promised government jobs and a Rs 30,000 monthly salary for the Jeevika CM (Community Mobilisers), or women associated with self-help groups, if his party comes to power in the two-phase Bihar elections scheduled to be held on November 6 and 11.

“Once we form our government, Jeevika CM (Community Mobilisers) Didis will be made permanent and a salary of Rs 30,000 per month will be given to them. The interest on the loans taken by Jeevika Didis will be waived off. For the next two years, Jeevika Didis will be given interest-free credit. Jeevika Didis will also be given an additional Rs 2,000 allowance. All Jeevika Didis will get insurance worth Rs 5 lakh..." the RJD leader said at a press conference in Patna.

What is the Jeevika scheme?

The Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), also known as JEEViKA, was launched on October 2, 2007. The programme involves mobilisation of women into affinity-based Self-Help Groups, commodity specific producer groups and higher federations. Currently, JEEVIKA presently operates in 34,043 villages across 534 blocks and 38 districts of Bihar. Under the program, Bihar has the highest number of Self-Help Groups nationally.

Why is the scheme linked to Nitish Kumar?

The JEEViKA scheme is seen as one of the flagship programmes for women by the Nitish Kumar regime. Since Nitish Kumar assumed power, women gave been voting in higher numbers than men and also been a key factor in the chief minister continuing in power.

In 2020, 59.69 per cent of women voters turned out in comparison to 54.68 per cent of the men. In the 2015 Assembly poll too, over 59 per cent of women voters exercised their franchise. Since Nitish came to power in 2005, he has launched several schemes for women.

However, in 2020, it was believed that the JEEViKA scheme was the biggest force behind the NDA victory in the state.

Among women voters, 38 per cent backed the NDA compared to the 37 per cent supporting the Mahagathbandhan in the 2020 Bihar assembly election. In 2020, the NDA won 60.5% of the seats in constituencies where women voters are more than men.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Credit Cooperative Federation Limited and transferred Rs105 crore to its bank account via videoconference from Delhi.

Why is Tejashwi trying to woo Jeevika didis?

Tejashwi has alleged that Jeevika Didis have been meted with injustice at the hands of the Nitish Kumar-led government. “Today is the time to do justice to them. The ‘community mobilisers’ among 'Jeevika Didis' will be made permanent if we come to power in the state. We have a vision. The current government does not have a road map,” he said.

According to the RJD leader, work in villages or cities is not possible without 'Jeevika didis'. “But they don't get anything... it is our responsibility, since this government doesn't cater to them…They distributed ₹10,000 under the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana for the women of Bihar, which is a bribe. This is a loan, Amit Shah himself said. This means that they will recover this money," Yadav said.

The upcoming Assembly election will test whether Nitish’s women-centric policies still resonate, or whether Tejashwi’s promise of better lives for Jeevika didis will swing Bihar towards Mahagatbandhan.

Another key factor behind the renewed focus on jobs and livelihood by both the ruling NDA and the Opposition blocs is the issue of unemployment playing on top of the voters' minds. Multiple surveys carried out just ahead of polls have revealed that a majority of voters in the poll-bound state consider unemployment as the biggest factor they would consider while deciding their vote.

This, perhaps explains the desperation of both Nitish and Tejashwi to woo voters with promises just days before polls begin in Bihar.