Greetings to all of you!

Today, during these holy days of Navratri, I have got the opportunity to join the women power of Bihar in their happiness. I was looking at the screen here, lakhs of women and sisters are visible. Your blessings during this sacred festival of Navratri are a great strength for all of us. I express my heartfelt gratitude to you today, and from today, the "Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana" is being launched. As I have been told, till now 75 lakh sisters have joined this scheme. Now, Rs 10,000 each has been sent to the bank accounts of all these 75 lakh sisters simultaneously.

Friends,

While this process was going on, I was sitting and thinking about two things. First of all, today Nitish ji's government has really taken such a big and important step for the sisters and daughters of Bihar. When a sister or daughter becomes employed or self-employed, their dreams take new wings, and their respect in society increases. The second thing that came to my mind was that if we had not taken the pledge of Jan Dhan Yojana 11 years ago, when you appointed me to serve you as the Prime Servant, if the country had not opened more than 30 crore accounts of sisters and daughters under the Jan Dhan Yojana, if these bank accounts had not been linked to your mobile and Aadhar, then would we have been able to send so much money directly to your bank accounts today. This could not have happened. And earlier a Prime Minister had said, this talk of loot that is going on these days, earlier a Prime Minister had said, at that time they were ruling everywhere, from Panchayat to Parliament. And he used to say that if one rupee is sent from Delhi, only 15 paise reaches, someone (some Panja) used to make off with 85 paise. The money that is being sent today, the entire 10 thousand rupees will be deposited in your account, no one can steal even a single rupee. This money that used to get looted in between, what a huge injustice is done to you.

Friends,

A brother feels happy when his sister is healthy, happy, and her family is financially strong, and for this, the brother does whatever he can. Today your two brothers, Narendra and Nitish ji, are working together continuously for your service, prosperity and your self-respect. Today's program is also an example of this.

Mothers-sisters,

When I was told about this scheme, I was deeply impressed by its vision. One woman from every family will definitely get the benefit of this scheme. And after the initial 10 thousand rupees, if the woman uses these 10 thousand rupees wisely, creates some employment, starts a business to stand on her own feet, and if it proves successful, she can be given additional financial assistance of up to 2 lakh rupees. Think about it, what a significant achievement this is for you. And in the corporate world this is called seed money. With the help of this scheme, my sisters of Bihar can open various small shops like grocery, utensils, cosmetics, toys, stationery etc. and can do their own business. They can do cow rearing, poultry farming, fish farming, goat rearing. They can do progress in many such businesses. And all of these require training. Now you might think you've received the money, but how will you actually do it? So, I assure you, not only will you be given money, you will also be given training for it, you will be taught how to work. Such a wonderful system of Jeevika Self Help Group already exists in Bihar. About 11 lakh self-help groups are working here, which means a well-established system is already in place. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to launch the Jeevika Nidhi Sakh Sahkari Sangh (Credit Cooperative Union). Now the strength of this system will be linked with Mukhyamanti Mahila Rozgar Yojana. That is, with its launch, this scheme is going to be effective throughout Bihar, in every corner of Bihar and in every family.

Friends,

Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana has also given new impetus to the central government's Lakhpati Didi campaign. The Central Government has set a target of creating 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the country. More than 2 crore sisters have become Lakhpati Didi till now. And I'm talking about rural women. Due to their hard work, villages have changed, society has changed and the status of the family has also changed. In Bihar also, lakhs of women have become Lakhpati Didi's. And with the way Bihar's double-engine government is advancing this scheme, I firmly believe that the day is not far off when, if there will be the most Lakhpati Didis anywhere in India, today I feel that the most Lakhpati Didis will be in my own Bihar.

Mothers-sisters,

The central government's Mudra Yojana, Drone Didi Abhiyan, Bima Sakhi Abhiyan, and Bank Didi Abhiyan are also increasing employment and self-employment opportunities for you. Our goal is only one, and today we are moving ahead with only one goal - that your dreams should be fulfilled, that you should get maximum opportunities to fulfill the dreams of your family, the bright future that you have in your mind, for your children.

Friends,

Today, due to the efforts of the Central and State Governments, new sectors are opening up for sisters and daughters. Today our daughters are joining the army and police in large numbers, every woman will be proud, today our daughters are flying fighter planes.

But friends,

We must not forget those days when there was RJD government in Bihar, there was rule of lalten. During that time, the mothers and sisters of my Bihar, the women here, suffered the most from anarchy and corruption. Those days, when the major roads of Bihar were in ruins, there were no bridges, then who suffered the most from it, when such difficulties arise, then we all know that the first ones to suffer from all these difficulties are our women, our mothers and sisters. And you know how this situation worsened during floods. Pregnant women were not able to reach the hospital on time. In case of serious condition, they couldn't receive proper treatment. Our government has worked day and night to help you overcome these difficult circumstances. We want you to come out of these problems and to a large extent we have been able to do that today. After the double-engine government came to power, you have seen roads begin to be built in Bihar. Even today we are engaged in improving connectivity in Bihar, due to which the women of Bihar have started getting a lot of convenience.

Mothers-sisters,

These days an exhibition is being organised in Bihar, and I would definitely tell those mothers and sisters who are below 30 years of age that they must visit this exhibition. I have been told;old newspaper headlines are being displayed in this exhibition. When we read them, those under the age of 30 may not realize how bad the situation was. And when old people read this, they too will feel it, they remember the kind of fear that prevailed in Bihar during the RJD rule, no house was safe. The terror of Naxalite violence was rampant. And women had to bear the pain the most. From the poor to the doctors and IAS families, no one was spared from the atrocities of RJD leaders.

Friends,

Today, when the rule of law has returned under the leadership of Nitish ji, my mothers, sisters, daughters and women have felt the greatest relief. Today, the daughters of Bihar leave their homes without fear. I was just listening to four sisters. The way sister Ranjita ji, sister Rita ji, Noorjahan Banu and our Putul Devi ji have told things with confidence. This was simply not possible before Nitish ji's government. It was not possible for them to work anywhere even late at night. Whenever I come to Bihar, I feel very satisfied to see such a large number of women police personnel deployed. Therefore, today we all have to take a pledge together that we will never let Bihar go into that darkness again, mothers and sisters, please write down these words of mine, this is the only way to save our children from destruction.

Mothers-sisters,

When a government makes a policy keeping women at the centre, then every section of the society, the entire family benefits from it. For example, today the whole world is seeing how big a change has come about due to the Ujjwala Yojana. There was a time when getting a gas connection in villages was a big dream, the same situation was there in cities also. My poor mothers, sisters, and daughters spent their lives coughing in the kitchen. Lung diseases were common, even loss of eyesight was common, and some scholars say that mothers and sisters who stay in the smoke of the stove for a long time, inhale the smoke equivalent to 400 cigarettes in a day. Now tell me, if cancer doesn't happen, what will? To save all these, we brought the Ujjwala scheme and delivered gas cylinders to every home. In Bihar, the lives of our sisters were spent carrying firewood. And the problems were no less, if it rained then the wet wood would not burn, if there was a flood then the firewood would get submerged. How many times the children of the house would go to sleep hungry, or spend the night eating roasted rice.

Friends,

This pain is not written in any book, this pain has been experienced by our sisters of Bihar, each one of my sisters has gone through this ordeal. But when the NDA government began thinking and formulating schemes with sisters at the center, the picture began to change. Gas connections reached crores of houses simultaneously. Today, crores of sisters are cooking food on the gas stove peacefully. They have been freed from smoke and relieved from lung and eye diseases. Now, children at home have a hot meal every day. Ujjwala gas connections have brightened not only the kitchens of Bihar but also the lives of women.

Mothers-sisters,

It is our responsibility to address all your concerns. We launched the free grain scheme during the difficult times of the coronavirus pandemic. Because I had one goal, no child should sleep hungry at night. But this scheme has helped you so much that we decided to continue it. Even today, PM Garib Kalyan Yojana is running, and due to this scheme, more than eight and a half crore needy people of Bihar are getting free ration. This scheme has alleviated so much of your worry. Let me give another example. Parboiled rice (Usna Chawal) is preferred in a large area of ​​Bihar. However, earlier our mothers and sisters were given raw rice (Arwa Chawal) as government ration. Due to compulsion, mothers and sisters used to give the same Arwa rice in the market and take parboiled rice in exchange. But look at the dishonesty. The problem was that instead of 20 kilograms of raw rice, they used to get only 10 kilograms of parboiled rice. We also considered this issue seriously. Now the government has also started giving parboiled rice in ration.

My mothers and sisters,

There has been no tradition of women having property in their name. A house was in the man's name, a shop in the man's name, land in the man's name, a car in the man's name, a scooter in the man's name-everything was in the man's name. But when I launched the PM Awas Yojana, I made it a rule that my mothers, sisters, and daughters would also be owners of the PM Awas Yojana homes. Today more than 50 lakh PM houses have been built in Bihar. Most of them are owned by women. You are the true owners of your home.

Friends,

We all know that when a sister's health deteriorates, it affects the entire family. There was a time when women endured illnesses without disclosing it to their families. No matter how difficult their situation, their fever, or their stomach aches, they continued working. Why? Because they did not want the household money to be spent on their treatment. It would not burden their children and family, so mothers and sisters endured.Your son solved this concern of yours through Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Today, lakhs of women of Bihar are getting free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. In the Matru Vandana Yojana being run for pregnant women, money is also going directly into the accounts of the mothers. So that at that time, during that period of 9 months, she can get good nutrition, so that the health of the child growing in the womb is also good and there is no problem in delivery, the life of the mother or the child is saved.

 My mothers and sisters,

Your health is our priority. We have launched a big campaign to improve women's health since September 17th, Vishwakarma Jayanti. It's called the "Swasth Nari, Sashakt Pariwar Abhiyan." More than 4.25 lakh health camps of this campaign are being organised in villages and towns. Serious diseases like anemia, blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer are being screened. Till now, more than 1 crore women have got themselves checked for free by joining this campaign. Today I would request all the women of Bihar to definitely go to these camps and get themselves tested. Some people are under the misconception that testing should not be done. Detecting a disease is beneficial, not harmful. Therefore, testing should be done.

Friends,

This is the festival season; Navratri is going on. Diwali is coming, and Chhath Puja is also not far away. Our sisters are constantly thinking about how to manage their household expenses and how to save money. To alleviate these concerns, the NDA government has taken a significant step. GST rates have been reduced across the country from September 22, the first day of Navratri. Now, all the daily use items like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, ghee and food items will be available cheaper than before. The prices of stationery for children's studies, clothes and shoes to wear during festivals have also reduced. This is a big relief for women who manage the household and kitchen budget. The double engine government considers it its responsibility to lighten the burden of the sisters and bring joy of festivals on their faces.

Friends,

Whenever the women of Bihar have had the opportunity, they have brought about significant change with their courage and determination. You have proven that when women progress, the entire society progresses. Once again, I congratulate the people of Bihar for the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana. My best wishes to all of you. Thank you very much.

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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MJPS/ST/SS