The Prime Minister has launched the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited, a fully digital cooperative aimed at streamlining access to affordable credit for women affiliated with Jeevika self-help groups (SHGs). By enabling mobile-based, transparent fund transfers—enabled through 12,000 equipped community cadres—the initiative seeks to reduce reliance on high-cost microfinance channels (charging 18%–24%). This marks a strategic step toward scaling community-led enterprises and reinforcing women's economic agency.
The launch was accompanied by reminders of central government schemes, such as Jaivik clean water access, Ayushman Bharat health coverage, PM Awas Yojana, and free rations; all underscoring a broader governmental push to reduce barriers faced by women and embed gender equity into development planning. The Prime Minister reiterated that empowering women and ensuring their dignity is a topmost national priority.
Relevant question for policy stakeholders: How can governance structures and performance monitoring be designed for this digital cooperative to ensure it tangibly lowers borrowing costs, increases entrepreneurial capacity among SHG women, and achieves scale across rural Bihar?
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https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=216302
