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According to a report in Times of India (TOI), officials of the Bihar government’s Jeevika scheme have sent notices to 14 male villagers from Darbhanga district to return the money.
However, the villagers have refused to return the amount saying that the money was given in return for votes and now that the NDA has returned to power, it is pressurizing the farmers to recover the money.
Launching the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana on September 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had transferred ₹10,000 in the bank accounts of over 1.40 crore women in Bihar. Launched just before the Bihar Assembly elections, the scheme reportedly played a significant role in wooing women voters in the elections, and is considered one of the key factors that led to the NDA’s landslide victory.
‘Money in exchange for votes. The score has been settled’
People of Ahiyari village in Darbhanga’s Jale block have questioned why the government issued a notice three months after the transaction, stating that now the “account has been settled” as the money was given in exchange for votes, adding that they will not be able to return the money as they cannot arrange such a huge amount.
“If the government says the money was credited to our account by mistake, why did it not send the notice immediately and why has it come almost three months later?” Narendra Ram, an agricultural labourer, said, according to TOI.
“Our votes led to NDA’s victory, but after coming to power, the government is pressurizing us to recover money. We voted. The accounts have been settled,” he told TOI.
According to the report, Ram is physically disabled and has five children, and believes the money was a form of financial assistance similar to that given to women. He said this money was spent during the celebrations of Diwali and Chhath Puja.
He said, “There is no question of returning the money… We are laborers and cannot arrange such a huge amount.”
Similar sentiments were also expressed by Baliram Sahni, another villager, who voted for NDA after receiving the amount. He is landless and also physically handicapped, and reportedly earns ₹300 per day as laborer.
“Now that she has won the election, she is asking for money. The recovery notice came after two and a half months. How can I pay back?” Sahni told TOI.
When the women came in support, some men returned the money.
According to a Jeevika official quoted in the TOI report, who said the money was “transferred by mistake”, seven male villagers have returned the money.
However, the government’s move is also being opposed by female villagers who have come out in support of their male counterparts.
According to TOI, female villager Pramila Devi expressed anger over the move, saying, “If the government wants our money back, it should also return our votes.”