PM to launch Co-op Jeevika Nidhi for Rural Women Entrepreneurs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited today on September 2 at 12:30 PM through video conferencing. On this occasion, he will also transfer Rs 105 crore into the institution’s bank account, marking a milestone in strengthening the cooperative framework for women in Bihar.

The Jeevika Nidhi has been set up as a cooperative society to give women associated with Jeevika’s self-help groups affordable access to credit. All registered cluster-level federations of Jeevika will automatically become members of this cooperative, giving them direct ownership and participation in its functioning. The institution will operate under a cooperative model where both the Government of Bihar and the Central government will contribute funds, ensuring shared responsibility and sustainability.

Over the years, the Jeevika movement has transformed women’s lives across rural Bihar by organizing them into self-help groups and federations. These collectives have nurtured entrepreneurship, giving rise to a range of micro-enterprises and producer companies. However, despite their progress, many women entrepreneurs have faced financial hurdles, relying heavily on microfinance institutions that charge steep interest rates of 18%–24%.

The Jeevika Nidhi cooperative has been conceived as a corrective mechanism. By pooling resources and operating as a member-owned society, it offers women entrepreneurs access to larger loans at much lower interest rates. This cooperative financing approach is expected to reduce exploitation by MFIs and strengthen community-owned financial systems that prioritize members’ welfare over profit.

The institution’s operations will be fully digital, with fund transfers going directly into the bank accounts of Jeevika Didis. This ensures transparency, accountability, and speed, hallmarks of a modern cooperative system. To enable smooth functioning at the grassroots, 12,000 community cadres are being equipped with tablets, further deepening the cooperative’s capacity for self-governance.

Through this initiative, the government aims to reinforce the cooperative spirit that Jeevika has long embodied. The Jeevika Nidhi is not just a financial mechanism but a cooperative instrument of empowerment, enabling rural women to manage resources collectively, take democratic financial decisions, and chart their own economic future.

Around 20 lakh women from across Bihar are expected to witness the launch, a testament to the reach and collective strength of this cooperative movement. The initiative is being seen as a step forward in reimagining cooperatives as vehicles of inclusive growth and women-led rural transformation.