Overview
- Chief Minister Nitish Kumar transferred Rs 1,000 crore via DBT to 10 lakh Jeevika-linked beneficiaries, pitching the payout as seed support for women’s self-employment.
- State officials said about 1.5–1.56 crore women have each received Rs 10,000 so far, with those demonstrating self-employment eligible later for assistance up to Rs 2 lakh.
- The programme was announced in late August, launched on September 26 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and credited in batches through October and November.
- Opposition parties allege Model Code violations and report exclusion and bribery complaints in application processing, which the government denies while urging non-registered applicants to join Jeevika.
- Analyses dispute claims that the transfers decisively swung the election and highlight wider fiscal concerns as women-focused DBTs expand across states, with annual outlays estimated near Rs 1.7 lakh crore.