In a significant move aimed at consolidating its core voter base, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and its Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) have unveiled a major poll promise targeting women and government contract workers in Bihar. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday announced that if voted to power, his government would provide permanent government jobs to all 'Jeevika CM Didis' and all contractual employees in the state.
This announcement marks the second major employment-centric pledge from the RJD leader in the run-up to the Bihar assembly elections, firmly establishing job creation as the central plank of his party's campaign.
A Boon for Jeevika Didis
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Tejashwi Yadav declared that all Jeevika Community Mobilisers, popularly known as 'CM Didis', would be made permanent government employees with a significantly enhanced monthly salary of ₹30,000.
“All of you are aware that injustice was done to the Jeevika Didis under this government... We have decided we will also increase their salary to Rs 30,000 per month. This is not an ordinary announcement. This has been the long-pending demand of Jeevika Didis,” Yadav stated.
The Jeevika programme, a state rural livelihoods project, employs thousands of women as community mobilisers who work at the grassroots level. Yadav's announcement directly addresses their grievances and aims to bring them financial security and the prestige of a government position.
Beyond permanency and salary hikes, the RJD leader outlined a comprehensive package for women associated with Jeevika groups:
Loan Interest Waiver: The interest on loans taken by women's Jeevika groups will be waived.
Interest-Free Loans: Interest-free loans will be provided for a period of two years.
Monthly Allowance: Women will receive a monthly allowance of ₹2,000 for performing other government-related duties.
Insurance Coverage: The government will provide life insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh.
BETI Scheme: Benefits under the daughter and mother schemes will be expanded, encapsulated in the acronym BETI—B for Benefit, E for Education, T for Training, and I for Income.
Justice for Contractual Employees
Extending the promise to a wider section of the workforce, Yadav announced that all contractual employees working for the Bihar government would be made permanent.
He sharply criticized the current working conditions for contractual staff, saying, “Their services are terminated without any explanation, 18% GST is deducted from their salary every month, and female employees are not given two days of leave, and we will be changing all this.”
This promise is likely to resonate with a vast number of temporary workers across various state departments who have been demanding job security and better pay for years.
Doubling Down on the "Job Machine" Image
This announcement solidifies Tejashwi Yadav's campaign persona as a "job machine." It is his second major poll promise focused exclusively on employment.
On October 9, he had set an ambitious target, promising a government job for every household in Bihar within 20 months of the Mahagathbandhan being voted to power. He had pledged to introduce a new law guaranteeing employment within 20 days of forming the government.
“We will ensure that every household will have a person with a government job after our government comes to power. We will make a new act for it within 20 days of forming the government, and in 20 months, not a single house will be without a government job,” Yadav had declared.
With these back-to-back announcements, the RJD has clearly chosen to fight the election on the issue of unemployment and job security, presenting a direct contrast to the ruling NDA government's record and putting the ball in their court to respond to these high-stakes promises.
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