Empowering Girls Through Education: Bihar's Transformative Initiatives

As soon as Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar took power in the year 2005, he improved the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar. Along with this, he brought the deteriorating education system back on track. A large scale literacy campaign was launched to improve the education system in Bihar. The Nitish government spread awareness about education among women by running several schemes.

The most popular dress and bicycle scheme of the education department is being discussed everywhere today. Financial assistance is provided for dress to girls studying in government schools. Girls studying in first and second class are given Rs. 600 per year, girls studying in third to fifth class are given Rs. 700 per year, girls studying in sixth to eighth class are given Rs. 1000 per year and girls studying in ninth to twelfth class are given Rs. 1500 per year. The amount is also increased from time to time.

This scheme was started in the year 2018. The main objective of this scheme is to encourage the girls of the state for education and make them prosperous. Under the Mukhyamantri Cycle Yojana, the department itself provides the amount through DBT in the bank account of the beneficiaries at the rate of Rs. 3000 on the basis of 75 percent attendance to all the boys and girls studying in class 9th. Under the Scholarship Scheme, the department provides scholarship at the rate of Rs. 1800 per beneficiary in a year to all the boys and girls studying in class 9th and 10th in high schools on the basis of 75 percent attendance. Children of class 1 to 4 are given Rs. 600 annually. Children of class 5 to 6 are given Rs. 1200 per year and children of class 7 to 8 are given Rs. 1800 per year.

Under the Mukhyamantri Kishori Swasthya Yojana, girls studying in class 7 to 12 are provided money for sanitary napkins at the rate of Rs. 300 per student. Under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Protsahan/Medhavriti Yojana, after passing the matriculation examination, a lump sum amount of Rs. 10,000 per beneficiary is provided to all the categories of students who have passed in the first division and Rs. 8,000 per beneficiary is provided to the SC/ST category girls who have passed in the second division in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries themselves. Under the Medhavriti Yojana, the amount is provided in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries themselves at the rate of Rs. 15,000 per beneficiary to the girls who have passed the intermediate examination in the first division of SC/ST category and Rs. 10,000 per beneficiary to the girls who have passed in the second division.

The objective of the Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana is to encourage the social and educational development of the girls of the state. So that they can continue their education and become self-reliant in the future. This scheme provides financial assistance to promote the education of girls and make them self-reliant. Under this scheme, assistance is given at many levels, which is helpful in motivating girls towards education. Under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana, the government provides financial assistance to girls in several installments.

For example, at the time of birth of the girl child, the parents get the first installment of Rs. 2,000. Similarly, on completion of one year, Rs. 1,000 is given at the time of Aadhaar registration, Rs. 2,000 at the age of 2 years i.e. when all the marks are filled, and similarly, incentives are given at different stages from the girl's admission to her studies in class 9. Under this scheme, Rs. 10,000 is given to the girls who pass the matriculation examination with first division, Rs. 25,000 is given to unmarried girls who pass intermediate and Rs. 50,000 is given to the graduate girls.

Apart from this, in order to take the students studying in government schools on a tour to inform them about the historical, geographical and other important places, heritage and legacy in the state, money is provided to the higher secondary schools under the Mukhyamantri Bihar Darshan Yojana and Rs. 20,000 per school is provided to the primary schools under the Parikrama Yojana.

The state government has made such arrangements for meritorious students that they do not have to leave their studies midway due to lack of money. For this, the government has started the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, under which there is a provision to provide financial assistance up to Rs 4 lakh in the form of loan to the students for pursuing higher education after completing intermediate studies as per the norms set by the department. The state government has established Kasturba Gandhi Balika Aawasiya Vidyalaya for the education of girls. Here, along with quality education, residential facilities have been arranged for the education of girls from educationally backward areas till 12th standard.

It is the result of the vision of Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar that today, by running many schemes in Bihar, the spirit of education has been awakened among girls. Especially, good results have been seen among girls living in rural areas. Chief Minister Balika Cycle Yojana and Balika Poshak Yojana have worked to make girls aware of education as well as make them strong and self-reliant.