Nitish lauds role played by women in Bihar's progress

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumaron Thursday spoke glowingly of the vital role played byenterprising women in helping the state turn the cornerdespite obvious constraints such as lack of big industries.

At a function organised in Purnea district, more than300 km from here, Kumar also underscored the capability ofwomen to nurture and prevent the younger generation fromgetting ''misguided''.

Accompanied by cabinet colleague Vijay Kumar Chaudharyand local MP Santosh Kumar Kushwaha, among others, the chiefminister had visited Dhamdaha block upon the invitation of'Aranyak Agri Producer Company' which is run by 'Jeevika'volunteers -- the colloquial term for women associated withself-help groups as part of a scheme run by the department ofrural development.

Kumar expressed delight that the number of ''Jeevikadidis'' has ''exceeded 1.20 crore'' and the success of theexperiment could be gauged from the fact that the number ofself help groups run by them was more than 10 lakhs.

''Bihar does not have any big industries. Yet, thestate has been making economic progress and the per capitalincome has been rising steadily. The credit goes to peoplelike you,'' said Kumar, evoking applause.

''Your success is a testimony to your high level ofsocial awareness. Please pass it on to your younger generationso they do not get misguided and choose the right path. I donot speak of the right path in terms of support or oppositionto any particular cause..... my stress is on a life ofproductivity,'' said the chief minister.

He recalled steps taken by his government which haveacted as a catalyst for women's empowerment. These includedfree bicycles and uniforms to school-going girls andreservation for women in panchayats and municipal bodies.

''The efforts have started bearing fruit. This wasevident in the matric results last year wherein the number ofgirls passing the exam was higher than that of boys. This, inturn, would lead to a better society,'' the CM asserted.

Referring to 'Jal Jeevan Hariyali', an ambitiouscampaign of his government to combat climate change, Kumarsaid he expected the state's women to play a crucial role inensuring its success.

''We have therefore decided that all the ponds whichare freshly dug or renovated as part of the campaign, shall bethereafter handed over to Jeevika groups for upkeep,'' headded.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)