Patna: Governmental teams, including a high-level ministerial team, from five Afro-Asian countries have arrived in Bihar to study the economic activities of women-centric self-help groups (SHGs) formed under the Jeevika programme, state rural development minister Shrawan Kumar said in the assembly on Monday. The minister was giving the govt’s reply to the House debate on the budgetary demand of his department worth Rs 16,093.45 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal that was passed by voice vote. The opposition members, however, walked out of the House during the debate. In his reply, Kumar said that high-level teams from South Africa, Rwanda and Ethiopia from Africa, as well as Indonesia and Philippines from south-east Asia have arrived at the state on a study tour. “They have been impressed by women’s empowerment through a number of economic activities. The foreign teams have visited districts for ground study, and have also praised the outcome of the Jeevika programme and its Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana (SJY) — both “dream projects” of the CM. They noted that the schemes would be implemented in their respective countries,” the minister said, praising CM Nitish Kumar for scaling up the SHG formation after coming to power in 2005. “He launched SJY (after the enforcement of complete liquor prohibition nine years ago) to provide alternative employment to toddy producers.” The minister added today, the state has 10.63 lakh SHGs, connecting 1.35 crore families. “As many as 34,990 SHGs have been formed in urban areas, connecting 3.61 lakh families. Around 2 lakh families are covered under the SJY, in which each family, after being weaned away from toddy business, was given Rs 2 lakh as assistance to engage in alternative employment,” the minister said. He further said that 9.78 lakh families are engaged in cattle rearing and milk production, and employment opportunities have also been created to make the Jeevika didis self-reliant like by engaging 754 of them in fish rearing, 2.07 lakh in poultry farming, 6.29 lakh in goat rearing, 4,468 in running kitchens in medical college hospitals, 1.42 lakh in milk business, 11,288 in honey production and 2.63 lakh in non-agricultural activities. Besides, many are engaged in sewing and 6,109 in loaning activities, among others, he said.
