Bihar has been the most jobless state in India for quite some time. Worker Population Ratio (WPR) touched lowest in 2021-22 in India at 25.6 per cent under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U) who has been ruling the state since 2005, alternately as part of NDA in alliance with BJP, or as part of Mahagathbandhan in alliance of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Bihar still has one of the lowest WPR in the country, with recent date showing a rate of 33.5 per cent for July 2023-June 2024, which was significantly lower than 43.7 per cent of the national average.

Nevertheless, NITI Aayog came out of fresh data in March 2025, and showed a better picture of Bihar, currently ruled by NDA. The third most populated state Bihar was shown performing better, with unemployment rate on usual status basis decelerated to 3.9 per cent in 2022-23 from a peak of 10.2 per cent in 2018-19. It was still higher than 3.2 per cent at national level. Manipulation of the data does not reflect the actual position on the ground since unpaid household helps were also counted as employed, most of them are women.

Counting the unpaid help as employed though improves the employment data on paper, it had political repercussions too for the ruling establishment. Even after such a counting, female labour force participation rate (LFPR) for 15 years and above women in the state was 22.4 per cent in 2022-23 which was far below the national average of 37 per cent. Since there were no jobs in the market, majority of female workforce comprises self-employed individuals (70.9 per cent), or casual labourers (22.5 per cent). Women workers on regular wage or salary were only 6.7 per cent, which is only around 8.5 per cent for men and women combined.

No wonder, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently launched Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna transferring Rs 10,000 each to 75 lakh women. The Rs 7,500 crore scheme aims to empower women through self-employment, offering additional financial support up to Rs2 lakh for entrepreneurial ventures. “Bihar’s women now have two brothers, Nitish and Modi,” said PM Modi, “who are working tirelessly for their betterment.” PM Modi was clearly trying to navigate the adverse impact of joblessness among women in Bihar.

Now, to soften the ire of jobless youth, PM Modi has unveiled various youth focused initiatives worth more that Rs 62,000 crore. PM-SETU has been launched for upgradation of 1000 government IITs across the country with investment of Rs 60,000 crore. The scheme envisages the upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs across the country in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs. Collectively, PM-SETU will redefine India’s ITI ecosystem, making it government-owned but industry-managed, with global co-financing support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. In the first phase of the scheme implementation, there will be special focus on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga. Obviously, key focus was youth skilling and education in Bihar.

PM Modi has launched Bihar’s revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svayam Sahayata Bhatta Yojna, providing monthly allowance of Rs 1000 to 5 lakh graduates for two years. He also inaugurated Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar to boost industry-oriented courses and vocational education.

PM also laid foundation stone for new academic and research facilities in four universities of Bihar and dedicated new campus of NIT Patna in Bihta. PM Modi also inaugurated 1200 vocational skill labs established in Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 states and UTs. He facilitated ITI toppers at Kaushal Deekhant Samaroh.

A special emphasis of the PM’s launch programme was on transformative projects in Bihar, reflecting the state’s rich legacy and youthful demographic advantage. Apart from launch of Bihar’s revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svayam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, under which nearly five lakh graduate youth every year will receive a monthly allowance of Rs. 1,000 for two years, along with free skill training, some other schemes were also launched. It included the launch of the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide completely interest-free education loans of up to Rs.4 lakh, significantly easing the financial burden of higher education. More than 3.92 lakh students have already availed loans worth more than Rs. 7,880 crore under the scheme.

Further strengthening youth empowerment in the state, Bihar Yuva Ayog, a statutory commission for people between the ages of 18 and 45, was formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister to channelise and harness the energies of the state’s young population. New research and educational facilities were inaugurated in Patna, Madhepura, and Chapra under PM-USHA, which is worth Rs160 crore which will benefit more than 27,000 students.

Bihar campus of NIT Patna, will have the capacity to host 6,500 students. PM has also been distributing appointment letters, the latest being to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates in the Government of Bihar. PM’s rolling out scholarships and skills programmes are likely to benefit over 25 lakh students.

Earlier, the NDA government has committed for launch schemes to create 1 crore employment opportunities over the next five years 2025-2030, which will included skill development and training via skill universities and institutions.

It is the glimpse of how PM Narendra Modi is trying to navigated the adverse impact of joblessness among youth and women in Bihar. Much more are likely to come before the election dates are announced.

It is obviously the result of mounting political pressure on the ruling establishment on account of joblessness among youth and women in Bihar. The state has witnessed numerous protests demonstration in recent years by youths and women demanding change in policy for creation of jobs. (IPA Service)