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Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited on September 1, 2025.
 
Key highlights:

• It is a new cooperative financial initiative aimed at providing easy access to affordable funds for rural women entrepreneurs in Bihar associated with Jeevika self-help groups.
• The scheme offers an alternative to microfinance institutions (MFIs) that often charge high interest rates (18%-24%), by providing larger loan amounts at lower interest rates.
• The cooperative consists of all registered cluster-level federations under Jeevika.
• Funds for the initiative come jointly from the Central Government and Bihar state government.
• The entire system operates on a fully digital platform, enabling faster and transparent fund transfers directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts.
• To support digital implementation, 12,000 community cadres have been equipped with tablets.
• At launch, Rs 105 crore was transferred into the cooperative’s bank account to start operations.
• The initiative aims to promote entrepreneurship development among around 20 lakh rural women, enhancing growth of community-led enterprises.
• Emphasized on women’s empowerment as key to India’s development and stated that the government is continuously working to ease difficulties in women’s lives through schemes like Jeevika Nidhi.

 This new financial cooperative society is a critical step for rural women's economic empowerment in Bihar and aligns with the government's wider vision for women's development and entrepreneurship growth.

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