Just hours before the announcement of the Bihar Assembly election dates, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a significant political and developmental move by distributing ₹10,000 each to 2.1 million women under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme. The initiative, aimed at empowering women through financial independence, coincided with a series of major project launches across the state.
At an event held at Sankalp 1, Anne Marg in Patna, Nitish Kumar inaugurated, laid foundation stones, and dedicated projects worth approximately ₹5,800 crore, primarily under the Energy Department. He also unveiled a statue of the late Devsharan Singh in the Bihar Legislative Assembly complex. Alongside, the launch of the Patna Metro’s first operational section and the inauguration of various infrastructure projects in Muzaffarpur further highlighted the government’s development agenda.
The Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme is one of Bihar’s most ambitious social empowerment initiatives. Its primary objective is to provide one woman from each family (comprising husband, wife, and unmarried children) with financial support to begin a small business or pursue self-employment. Unmarried adult women are also eligible as independent family units if their parents are deceased.
Under this scheme, a first installment of ₹10,000 is directly transferred to the beneficiary’s bank account via DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). The amount is non-refundable and intended for starting a small enterprise. After six months, an assessment is carried out; if the business shows promise, additional financial assistance of up to ₹2 lakh may be provided. The scheme currently covers 18 categories of self-employment, including cottage industries and handicrafts.
Eligibility requires that the applicant be a permanent resident of Bihar, aged between 18 and 60 years. The family must not include a government employee, pensioner, or income tax payer. Priority is given to women associated with Jeevika Self-Help Groups (SHGs). This initiative is designed to offer women in Bihar both financial autonomy and sustainable livelihoods.
In a separate event on October 6, 2025, Nitish Kumar inaugurated the first section of the Patna Metro — a 3.45 km elevated “priority corridor” covering Patliputra Bus Terminal, Zero Mile, and Bhoothnath stations. The metro will operate daily from 8 AM to 10 PM, with trains running every 20 minutes. Each train can accommodate up to 945 standing passengers and 138 seated ones, with reserved seating for women and differently-abled commuters.
The fare structure has been kept nominal — ₹15 from Patliputra Bus Terminal to Zero Mile, and ₹30 till Bhoothnath. The construction of tunnels and six underground stations, for which the CM also laid foundation stones, will cost around ₹2,565.80 crore.
The Patna Metro project comprises two main corridors — the Red Line (16.86 km) and the Blue Line (14.56 km) — covering a total of 24 stations. Full-scale operations in Phase 1 are expected to begin by 2027. Security for the metro is being managed by the Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP).