The Bihar Jeevika Cadre Sangh (affiliated with AICCTU) has announced a massive protest on 26 November in Patna during the winter session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. The protest aims to draw attention to the Bihar government's controversial decision to phase out honorariums for Jeevika cadres, a move the union said is part of a broader plan to dismantle the Jeevika programme under pressure from private loan companies.
At the core of the issue is a directive issued on 2 September 2024 by Bihar government, stating that the nominal honorariums for 1.5 lakh Jeevika cadres would be gradually discontinued by 2028. Instead, cadres’ remuneration would depend on contributions from the self-help groups (SHGs) they serve. Since then, Jeevika cadres have been organising protests across Bihar calling upon the government to ensure their 10 point charter of demands. They are demanding the immediate withdrawal of the order, a fixed monthly honorarium of Rs. 25,000 for cadres, official identity cards, waiver of loans for SHGs, and enhanced social security benefits, including maternity leave.
The Jeevika union leaders said that the Nitish Kumar government is exploiting Jeevika workers for political gains while failing to address their economic and social security needs. “The so-called ‘double-engine’ government has used Jeevika workers extensively, but now, instead of fulfilling its obligations, it is pushing these workers and SHGs into the clutches of private loan companies, moneylenders, and chit fund operators,” Sashi Yadav, MLC and leader of scheme workers said.
The government’s stance has left many SHGs and community organisations in financial disarray. Official figures reveal that over 1.62 lakh bank accounts linked to SHGs are classified as non-performing assets (NPAs) or pre-NPAs, a number the union claims is vastly underestimated. Mismanagement and lack of support have rendered many SHGs incapable of repaying loans, leaving them trapped in a cycle of debt.
Despite the two-month-long strike and continuous protests at the block and village levels, the government has not taken any steps to address the cadres’ grievances. “The silence of the Nitish-Modi government on such a critical issue is both undemocratic and unacceptable,” the union said.
The protest on 26 November aims to highlight the plight of Jeevika workers and pressure the government to act. The Jeevika programme, part of National Rural Livelihood Mission, meant for economic empowerment for rural women, in Bihar organising 1.5 million women into SHGs. Any move to privatise or weaken the programme would undermine the livelihoods of millions of women and further entrench them in debt traps.
The Bihar Jeevika Cadre Sangh has called upon the government to fulfil its obligations, warning that failure to address their demands would escalate protests across the state.
