Bihar Assembly Election: Nitish Kumar distributes Rs 10,000 to 21 lakh women, inaugurates Patna Metro minutes before poll dates announcement

This amount is non-refundable and can be used to start a small business.

Patna: Just before the announcement of the Bihar Assembly election dates, CM Nitish Kumar made a big move for women as he distributed Rs. 10,000 in aid to 2.1 million women under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme.

Various projects worth Rs 5,800 crore

CM Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone, inaugurated, and dedicated projects worth approximately Rs 5,800 crore across various departments of the Energy Department. This event took place at Sankalp 1, Anne Marg, Patna.

In addition, a statue of the late Devsharan Singh was unveiled in the Bihar Legislative Assembly complex. The launch of the Patna Metro and the foundation stone laying and inauguration of several projects in Muzaffarpur also made headlines.

Chief Minister’s Women’s Employment Scheme

The Chief Minister’s Women’s Employment Scheme is a major initiative of the Bihar government to empower women. It aims to empower women economically and provide them with self-employment opportunities.

The scheme’s primary objective is to provide financial assistance to one woman in every family (husband, wife, and unmarried children) in the state to start a small business or self-employment of their choice. Unmarried adult women are also considered nuclear families if their parents are not alive.

Direct Benefit Transfer

Under this scheme, the first installment of Rs 10,000 is provided directly to the bank account through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). This amount is non-refundable and can be used to start a small business. An assessment is made six months after starting the business. If the business shows progress, additional financial assistance of up to Rs 2 lakh can be provided. This scheme covers 18 types of self-employments (such as cottage industries, handicrafts, etc.).

What is the eligibility?

To be eligible, a woman must be a permanent resident of Bihar. Furthermore, the woman must be between 18 and 60 years of age. There must be no government employees, pensioners, or income tax payers in the family. Furthermore, being associated with a Jeevika Self-Help Group (SHG) is a priority. This initiative by the Bihar government provides an opportunity for empowerment for women in Bihar.

Nitish Kumar inaugurates section of Patna Metro

Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated a section of the Patna Metro on Monday, 06 October 2025, hours ahead of the announcement of the assembly elections. A 3.45-km-long elevated corridor, covering three stations, Patliputra Bus Terminal, Zero Mile, and Bhoothnath, was opened as part of the “priority corridor”.

The metro service will be available from 8 am to 10 pm every day, with each train operating at 20-minute intervals, an official said.

“The metro will complete 40 to 42 trips daily. Each coach has 138 seats, and 945 passengers can travel standing. Twelve seats per train will be reserved for women and differently-abled passengers. Each coach will also offer mobile and laptop charging ports, among other facilities,” he said.

Metro fare and other information

The fare from Patliputra Bus Terminal to Zero Mile is Rs 15, and till Bhoothnath, it is Rs 30, the official said. The tunnel and the six underground stations, for which the CM laid the foundation stones, will be built at Rs 2,565.80 crore.

Patna Metro will have two corridors — Red Line (16.86 km) and Blue Line (14.56 km), with a total of 24 stations. Full-scale operations in the first phase are expected to begin by 2027.

The security of the Patna Metro is being handled by personnel from the Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP).

(With PTI inputs)