Patna: The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar is leaving no stone unturned to woo the woman voter in the state ahead of the Assembly elections slated to be held later in the year.
On Tuesday, the Bihar Government announced that 35 per cent of all government services and posts will be reserved for women candidates who are permanent residents of Bihar.
A 35% reservation in government jobs does exist in Bihar, but women from outside the state are also eligible for it. This tweak in the rules will certainly not go unnoticed by the woman voter, political observers say.
As it is, Nitish and the NDA are favourites among women in Bihar, a recent opinion poll carried out by InkInsight revealed. Men, on the other hand, are in favour of the INDI Alliance. Youth, in particular, are likely to vote for former deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has already declared himself the CM face of the INDI Alliance, much to the chagrin of partners like the Congress.
The original decision to reserve 35 per cent of government jobs for women – including those from other states – was also taken by the Nitish Kumar government in 2016. That was also the year when Nitish imposed prohibition in Bihar, also based on repeated appeals by women.
This decision to ban liquor in Bihar did not go down well with the male voters and bootlegging is now a prosperous business in the state, but women came out in wholehearted support.
Even the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aware of the woman voter in the state. While on a tour to Trinidad and Tobago last week, he referred to the country’s prime minister Kamla Persad – Bissessar as ‘Bihar Ki Beti’. It is true that Bissessar’s ancestors did travel to the Caribbean nation as indentured labourers from Bihar.
Officials have said that the Bihar cabinet approved 43 proposals during its latest meeting, with several major decisions aimed at employment, youth welfare, and agricultural relief. The cabinet also gave its nod to the Bihar Youth Commission, which will advise the government on education and employment for youth in the state.
The commission will consist of one chairperson, two vice-chairpersons, and seven members, with a maximum age limit of 45 years. Kumar announced this cabinet’s decision in an X post and wrote that the move aims at providing more employment opportunities to the youth.
“I am pleased to inform that with the aim of providing more and more employment opportunities to the youth of Bihar, training them, and making them empowered and capable, the state government has decided to form the Bihar Youth Commission,” he wrote, adding that it would also help prepare programmes to tackle issues of alcoholism and substance abuse among the youth.
