DIRECT CASH TRANSFER SCHEMES FOR WOMEN ARE A LIBERATING FORCE

HE disbursal of 10,000 as the first instalment of a ₹2-lakh bonanza announced for women by the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has raised eyebrows.

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Though the timing of the announcement brought up rightful questions about vote-bank politics, Bihar is not the first state to announce direct money transfers for women before an election. All major parties have resorted to similar schemes in the name of facilitating self-employment. In neighbouring Jharkhand, the JMM-Congress alliance introduced a similar unconditional scheme to transfer ₹2,500 a month just before the assembly election last year. Ditto for Maharashtra, where the BJP-led alliance timed the announcement of the 1,500-a-month Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana with the 2024 state polls.