First of all, I request the leaders who are sweating it out in the electoral arena of Bihar, please do not bother to find the electoral mathematics here, because it is a collage of massive change and its enduring pain and resultant crying.
First, let’s go back to the last decade of the 20th century. I and two of my colleagues were going from Patna to Dhanbad. In the dim sunlight of extreme winter, we witnessed a disturbing scene near the road. In that harsh cold, in front of a muddy pond, a woman wearing only a saree was ready to take a bath. But his shyness stopped him. She did not have another saree to wear after bathing and people in the vehicles passing by used to ridicule her. I was trying to understand her distress in a dignified manner. What happened next made us even more uneasy. After stopping, she got down on her knees and washed her face with the same water. Since then a lot of water has flowed in the Ganga and Kosi rivers. Jharkhand has separated from Bihar. Dhanbad is now in Jharkhand and there has been a big change in the condition of women of Bihar.
Government data shows that dual intervention by the state government and society has helped women take a quantum leap. In 2000, the female literacy rate in Bihar was 33%, which is now 73.91%. 35% reservation for women in the state has resulted in a major improvement in the male-female ratio at the workplace. Today its police force consists of 37% women. The number of female teachers is 261,000. Women are wielding both pens and pistols.
106,000 self-help groups are also active for employment in Bihar. Through these, 14.5 million women are creating their own personal stories of financial success. These women have taken advantage Bank loan of Rs 15,000 crore. Their record in repaying loans is much better than men by 99%. This is why we are now left with those unfortunate scenes of the 1980s and 1990s.
Women in Bihar have come a long way and I am confident that in the silver jubilee year of the century they will vote for a better Bihar. Education and financial independence have created higher awareness among women. In 2015 and 2020, 60% women came out to vote, turning their gender into a strong vote bank, and every political party is ready to woo them. But that’s just one benign side of the story. Despite all the empowerment, their sons, husbands or other family members are doomed to migrate internally or internationally. The helplessness that hangs around makes a mockery of all the development figures.
There is not a single big manufacturing unit in Bihar. The size of the farm is shrinking. Drought and floods are driving large numbers of farmers away from their traditional occupations. A total of 2 crore 90 lakh people, or almost a quarter of the state’s population, are doomed to migrate in search of work. Like other parts of India, the state cannot boast of many ongoing mega projects. Small industries are in disrepair; 80% of India’s jobs come from manufacturing and infrastructure. It’s no surprise that employment is a hot topic in elections. Each party has its own opinion but there is no real solution to this dangerous problem.
How this problem is affecting the Bihari youth can be gauged from this. Hindustan Reporters talked to the youth who returned to their villages छाठ Prayer. I want to mention only two incidents. His lamentation is a reflection of the pain of the entire Bihari youth.
Gangaram from Madhepura works in a chocolate factory in Bengaluru. We asked him why he went out? “There is nothing in the name of employment in Bihar, not a single factory. So we are forced to go out to earn a living and support our families… Why would we leave our homes if we get work here?” He just opened his heart. “As soon as we grow old enough to earn, we leave the state. Our ties with our family and society start weakening. We come back once every two years… When we leave, our deepest sorrow is how long will we stay away from our loved ones? We don’t get any respect even in other states.”
We ask what people want from the new government. Sanjay Chandravanshi, who works in Mumbai, replies, “Whoever comes to power should focus on creating job opportunities. If factories come up in Bihar, lakhs of people like me will not have to move out. We may not get work at home, but at least we will stay in the state.”
What leaders, who babble Bread and employment (Bread and employment), will adopt a constructive approach on winning? Or will the Bihari youth be disappointed once again? Bihar and the people of Bihar are waiting with bated breath for a concrete solution instead of empty rhetoric. A long time ago, a young woman in Patna asked me, “Is it Bihar’s turn now? (Is now the time for Bihar to shine)?” His question is still waiting for a clear answer.
Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Opinions are personal.
