Patna, Jan 7 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday spoke glowingly of the vital role played by enterprising women in helping the state turn the corner despite obvious constraints such as lack of big industries.

At a function organised in Purnea district, more than 300 km from here, Kumar also underscored the capability of women to nurture and prevent the younger generation from getting "misguided".

Accompanied by cabinet colleague Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and local MP Santosh Kumar Kushwaha, among others, the chief minister had visited Dhamdaha block upon the invitation of 'Aranyak Agri Producer Company' which is run by 'Jeevika' volunteers -- the colloquial term for women associated with self-help groups as part of a scheme run by the department of rural development.

Kumar expressed delight that the number of "Jeevika didis" has "exceeded 1.20 crore" and the success of the experiment could be gauged from the fact that the number of self help groups run by them was more than 10 lakhs.

"Bihar does not have any big industries. Yet, the state has been making economic progress and the per capital income has been rising steadily. The credit goes to people like you," said Kumar, evoking applause.

"Your success is a testimony to your high level of social awareness. Please pass it on to your younger generation so they do not get misguided and choose the right path. I do not speak of the right path in terms of support or opposition to any particular cause..... my stress is on a life of productivity," said the chief minister.

He recalled steps taken by his government which have acted as a catalyst for women's empowerment. These included free bicycles and uniforms to school-going girls and reservation for women in panchayats and municipal bodies.

"The efforts have started bearing fruit. This was evident in the matric results last year wherein the number of girls passing the exam was higher than that of boys. This, in turn, would lead to a better society," the CM asserted.

Referring to 'Jal Jeevan Hariyali', an ambitious campaign of his government to combat climate change, Kumar said he expected the state's women to play a crucial role in ensuring its success.

"We have therefore decided that all the ponds which are freshly dug or renovated as part of the campaign, shall be thereafter handed over to Jeevika groups for upkeep," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)