Bihar is in the vanguard of ushering in social change to give ‘aadhi abaadi’ their rightful due in society
Abla jeevan haai tumhari yahi kahani,
Aanchal mein hai doodh aur ankhon mein paani
[अबला जीवन हाय तुम्हारी यही कहानी,
आँचल में है दूध और आँखों में पानी]
(Loosely translated as: A woman’s tale is about nursing (family and society) with nectar of love even as her eyes always well up with tears!)
Decades after the bard had narrated the grim reality facing women in India, much has changed and yet, much remains to change to give ‘aadhi abaadi (half of the population)’ their rightful due in society. Bihar, the eastern state of India, has lately been in the forefront of ushering in social change and change in patriarchal mindset that found women ‘tadan ki adhikari (fit only to be thrashed)’ and deserving to be treated as ‘pair ki juti’ (as lowly as shoes)!!
The state budget for the current financial year (2021-22) provided for a grant of Rs 25,000 to unmarried women who pass intermediate examination and Rs 50,000 on completion of graduation (bachelor’s degree). With women’s literacy being 60.5 per cent, as per government estimates in 2018, as against the national average of 70.3 per cent, such incentives can very well play a crucial role in boosting education.
The winds of change gathered pace in Bihar around 2005, thanks to Nitish Kumar coming to power and being sworn-in as chief minister. Sixteen years later, his zeal to socially and economically empower women remains undiminished.
From the very beginning, Nitish government embarked on landmark initiatives. In 2006, 50 per cent (half) posts in panchayats (village-level councils) were reserved for women and a slew of measures were taken to promote girls’ education. Girls pedalling the bicycles to reach schools or back home are now a common sight in Bihar, and unlike the earlier days hardly raise eyebrows even in the countryside. Government grants for free uniforms, books and bicycles to school-going girls resulted in a huge jump in their enrolment in schools.
Says Neeraj Kumar, a former minister and spokesperson of the ruling coalition partner, Janata Dal (JD-U), “CM Nitish Kumar has a socialist background. He is a follower of socialist icons Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur. Lohia ji firmly believed that women, constituting half of the population, were among the most backward sections. Therefore, Nitish Kumar brought in reservation for women in panchayats, drawing them out of the confines of four walls of their houses. He worked for livelihood of the downtrodden women, benefitting about one crore (10 million) families. This has created awareness among them and women’s voting percentage in elections has witnessed a sharp spike.”
Women’s quota in panchayats has brought a sense of self-belief among women in the hinterland. They interact with government officials and have a say in the finalisation of projects and release of funds for them. The critics have a valid point that in a large many cases, women are sought to be used as rubber stamp by men of their families. But, all said, the quota has indeed helped politically empower women.
Ananya Prem, a final-year student of BBA at Patna Women’s College, lists some other steps taken to promote girls’ education. “Under the Students’ Credit Card scheme, girls are eligible to get a loan of Rs 4.5 lakh at an interest rate of only 1 per cent. Boys get this loan at four per cent. In case the recipient fails to get or take up job, this loan can also be waived off. The loan is very helpful for girls to take up expensive vocational courses. Moreover, tuition fee for girls has been waived up to the graduation level.”
The state budget for the current financial year (2021-22) provided for a grant of Rs 25,000 to unmarried women who pass intermediate examination and Rs 50,000 on completion of graduation (bachelor’s degree). With women’s literacy being 60.5 per cent, as per government estimates in 2018, as against the national average of 70.3 per cent, such incentives can very well play a crucial role in boosting education.
With the spread of education, fertility rate in Bihar has come down by several notches. As per the National Family Health Survey, the fertility rate in Bihar has dropped from 4.3 in 2005 to 3.1 in 2019. CM Nitish Kumar very recently said that Bihar’s birth rate was 1.6 per cent compared to the national average of 1.7 per cent in the case of women educated up to the intermediate level. He emphasised that “education will prove to be a major tool in birth control. At the same time, it will impact all communities.” A lower fertility rate (another name for birth rate) eases the shackles of domestic drudgery for women.
Going further ahead, the state government announced 35 per cent reservation for women in Bihar police jobs in 2016 and later in all government jobs at all levels. This quota is now also sought to be implemented in transfers and postings in all government offices as well. Over a million women’s self-help groups have been set up to ensure livelihood to them.
The state government has also come forward to the help of women who are either not in government service or unwilling to do jobs. Women are sought to be given financial assistance of up to Rs 10 lakh (one million) to set up their own businesses. While Rs 5 lakh (half a million) will be as grant or subsidy, the remaining amount will be as interest-free loan. This entrepreneurship incentive scheme was earlier meant only for scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and extremely backward caste women, but has now been extended to all women.
Even the state government’s decision to enforce prohibition was taken at women’s behest. The demand was made at the CM’s meeting with a group of women and he accepted the demand. Since women are the worst victims of drunkenness, prohibition is said to have raised their standing in their families, making them rally in support of Nitish Kumar in a stronger manner.
Renu Ranjan, retired professor at Magadh Mahila College, Patna and sociologist, takes a holistic view of women’s empowerment. The issue is related to women’s control over and access to resources, both physical and non-physical (intellectual). While government steps for justice to women have borne fruit, they haven’t got control over economic resources. Women have got legal powers and economic, political and educational access but situation at the ground level is somewhat discomforting.
She flags the areas of concern. Women have got legal power, like reservation in panchayat bodies. But their husbands and other relatives are blatantly misusing this power, by using women as mere rubber stamps.
On a larger, national level, some legal initiatives with a view to ensuring women’s empowerment have become a matter of concern, she says. Laws like Dowry Act, Domestic Violence Act, Sexual Harassment Act are getting misused on a significant scale, leading to disruption and break-up of families. Large-scale proper counselling of both women and men is the need of the hour, she says. “Women, too, need to be counselled about right and wrong, and action should be taken to deter misuse of these laws,”