📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Textiles
Sarkari Yojana
Bihar’s Women Livelihood Scheme Turns 20 on Gandhi Jayanti, Over 1.81 Crore Beneficiaries
✍️ Amar Ujala · Patna
🗓 02 Oct 2026, 01:45 PM
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The scheme launched on Gandhi Jayanti two decades ago has now enrolled more than 18.1 million women across Bihar, reshaping rural livelihoods.
On October 2, 2004, the Bihar government unveiled a women‑focused livelihood programme to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti, aiming to provide skill training and income‑generating opportunities in rural districts. The initiative was designed to empower women by linking them to self‑help groups, micro‑enterprise support and market access.
Twenty years on, official data show that more than 1.81 crore women have registered under the scheme, a figure that reflects its expansive reach from Patna to remote blocks of Bhojpur. Reta Devi, a resident of Bhojpur, illustrates the transformation: after joining a tailoring cluster, she now runs a small workshop that employs three other women and contributes to her family’s income.
The programme’s success has been credited to a combination of government subsidies, partnerships with NGOs and a strong emphasis on community mobilisation. Beneficiaries report higher household earnings, better school attendance for children and a shift in societal attitudes toward women’s economic roles.
State officials say the next phase will focus on digital literacy and renewable‑energy‑based enterprises, aiming to sustain the momentum as the scheme marks its 20th anniversary.
Twenty years on, official data show that more than 1.81 crore women have registered under the scheme, a figure that reflects its expansive reach from Patna to remote blocks of Bhojpur. Reta Devi, a resident of Bhojpur, illustrates the transformation: after joining a tailoring cluster, she now runs a small workshop that employs three other women and contributes to her family’s income.
The programme’s success has been credited to a combination of government subsidies, partnerships with NGOs and a strong emphasis on community mobilisation. Beneficiaries report higher household earnings, better school attendance for children and a shift in societal attitudes toward women’s economic roles.
State officials say the next phase will focus on digital literacy and renewable‑energy‑based enterprises, aiming to sustain the momentum as the scheme marks its 20th anniversary.