Patna: Chief minister Samrat Choudhary on Wednesday launched three major welfare initiatives ahead of Rakshabandhan to strengthen women’s safety, education and economic independence across the state.At a programme at Gyan Bhavan here, Choudhary flagged off 4,700 two-wheelers for police didi (Abhaya brigade) to improve patrolling for women’s security. Women personnel of the brigade tied ‘rakhis’ to the CM during the event. He said the vehicles would help women police personnel carry out safety duties more effectively, especially for girl students in schools and colleges.Choudhary said Bihar has about 40,000 women in its police force, a number he described as higher than that of any other state in the country. He said the govt was strengthening policing systems so women and girls receive timely assistance and a secure environment.On this occasion, Choudhary also launched the ‘Chief Minister Balika PhD Fellowship’ to support higher education and research among women. The scheme will benefit about 1,000 female research scholars, who will receive a monthly stipend of Rs10,000 for four years. Choudhary said creating advanced academic opportunities for daughters of Bihar remains a priority for the state govt.The third initiative, the ‘Bihar Ki Beti Startup Challenge Yojana’, launched by the CM, seeks to promote grassroots innovation and women’s entrepreneurship. Under the scheme, 2,100 selected women entrepreneurs will receive seed funding ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs2 lakh. The support is aimed at helping women pursue self-employment, create local enterprises and contribute to economic growth.Addressing the gathering, Choudhary said Bihar’s women should use their talent and capability to help change the state’s destiny and become partners in building a prosperous Bihar. He said providing better opportunities to daughters was not only the govt’s responsibility but also a collective responsibility of society. The measures, he said, would open pathways in safety, higher education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.Choudhary highlighted the role of Jeevika Didis in the rural economy, saying they contribute Rs1.36 lakh crore to Bihar’s economy. He said 43 lakh Jeevika Didis have become Lakhpati Didis, and the govt aims to make one crore more Jeevika Didis Lakhpati Didis in coming years. He added that efforts would continue to link women with livelihoods in Jeevika, milk production, animal husbandry and allied sectors, with a target of connecting one crore women to such opportunities.Choudhary said the response time of emergency service 112 has fallen to less than 10 minutes, and new arrangements aim to bring it down to 5-7 minutes. He also cited 50% reservation for women in panchayat and urban local body elections, saying women now constitute 59% of elected representatives in Bihar. He said women’s safety, dignity, education and self-reliance remain priorities.
