Bihar Plans Mahila Vishwavidyalaya for Women

Bihar has announced a proposed Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, a women’s university in which students, faculty, non-teaching staff and the vice-chancellor will all be women. The announcement was made in Patna at Bapu Sabhagar during the launch of the Samriddh Mahila Samriddh Bihar Abhiyan on the eve of Raksha Bandhan.

Women’s University in Bihar

A women’s university is a higher education institution that admits women students and may also appoint women to teaching and administrative posts. In the Bihar proposal, the university structure is designed to keep all academic and non-academic positions reserved for women.

Women-Centric Welfare Measures

The state government disbursed about ₹600 crore through Direct Benefit Transfer to nearly 5 lakh female beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana. The scheme is linked to self-employment and income generation for women in Bihar.

The government also announced a plan to spend around ₹20,000 crore by 2030 for the development and economic empowerment of JEEViKA Didis. JEEViKA is Bihar’s rural livelihood programme associated with women’s self-help groups and community-based economic activity.

Related Initiatives and Institutional Links

Bihar’s Department for Excise and Prohibition signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prajapita Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya for an anti-addiction public awareness campaign. The state also launched the Beti Startup Challenge, the Balika PhD Fellowship and the Police Didi scheme on 26 August 2026.

The university proposal also revived a 12-year-old idea first mooted in January 2014 by then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The earlier plan had proposed converting Patna Women’s College into Bihar’s first women’s university.

Important Facts for Exams

• Patna is the capital of Bihar and a major administrative centre in eastern India.
• Direct Benefit Transfer is a method of transferring government benefits directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
• Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival observed on the full moon day of the month of Shravana.
• JEEViKA is Bihar’s state livelihood mission linked to women’s self-help groups.

Higher Education and Women’s Empowerment

Women’s universities in India include institutions such as SNDT Women’s University and Banasthali Vidyapith. Such institutions are part of India’s higher education system and are recognised under university regulations in the country.