In a massive demonstration at Patna on November 26, more than 20,000 Jeevika workers from across Bihar rallied for fair wages and debt relief. The protest, marked by powerful slogans against the Nitish-BJP ‘double engine’ government, highlighted their ongoing struggles for economic justice and recognition.
According to Ranvijay, leader of the AICCTU, CM Nitish Kumar is spending a staggering Rs. 225 crores on his "Mahila Samvad Yatra" (Women’s Dialogue Tour), yet the government claims it has no funds to clear the dues of 1.5 lakh Jeevika cadres. He said that payment for their services has been frozen until 2028, leaving the burden of the state’s Rs. 46,000 crore debt squarely on the shoulders of these working women.
Ragini Kumari, one of the protestors, spoke about the decade-long struggle of Jeevika workers. "We have been working for 10 years without receiving an official ID card, and now our payments have been stopped. Many of us have taken loans through the groups we formed, and some have died, leaving their families trapped in debt," she explained.
Despite facing repression, with police detaining activists including AICCTU State President Pradeep Kumar on the eve of the rally, the protesters declared their resolve. "The government cannot silence our voice. Our movement will continue," stated Ranvijay, addressing the protesting Jeevika workers.
The protestors, who have been on strike for the past three months, were met with no assurance from the authorities. “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, CPI(ML) MLC and leader of scheme workers said.
Comrade Shahsi Yadav also raised the issue of Jeevika and other scheme workers in the ongoing Assembly session in Bihar. She demanded intervention from the government to resolve the issues faced by Jeevika workers.
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. 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.
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 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.
