Nalanda/Patna: Outside her one-room kutcha house in Bihar’s Nalanda district, 50-year-old Champa Devi sits on the ground, shaping mud utensils on an old stone chak — a traditional wheel used to mould clay. For more than 30 years, this has been her daily routine. But for the past 10 days, she has been waiting eagerly for a new iron chak — one she believes will double her output and ease her work.

Champa Devi is one of one crore women in Bihar who have received Rs 10,000 from the state government under the Jeevika Mission. The scheme, aimed at strengthening women’s financial independence, is also an attempt to reinforce Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s focus on women voters, just weeks before the Bihar Assembly election. Under the Mahila Rojgar Yojana, the state will track how women spe

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