Livelihood security and its associated factors among rural women beneficiaries under the JEEViKA programme in Samastipur district of Bihar

Introduction

Rural women make an important contribution to household livelihoods and economic well-being, yet their access to credit, productive resources and skill development opportunities remains limited (Babu et al., 2026) [1] . Strengthening women's agency and access to resources can contribute to better livelihood outcomes and greater social inclusion (Kabeer, 1999) [7] . In Bihar, the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), under the Department of Rural Development, implements JEEViKA to promote the social and economic empowerment of rural poor households (Suman and Jahanara, 2022) [19] . Through vocational training and capacity-building interventions, the programme helps rural women develop skills, improve awareness and strengthen their livelihood opportunities (Rajpoot et al., 2023) [16] . Livelihood security is increasingly recognized as an important dimension of rural development, particularly in relation to poverty reduction and the empowerment of rural women (Madhuprasad et al., 2024) [10] . For rural women, livelihood security extends beyond income generation and includes various aspects of economic and social well-being (Das Gupta, 2021) [4] . It encompasses economic security, food and nutritional security, health security, social security, ecological security, psychological security and physical security, which together provide a broader understanding of livelihood conditions and well-being (Prasad et al., 2025) [12] . JEEViKA, popularly known as the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project, is a flagship initiative of the Department of Rural Development, Government of Bihar, implemented under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) (Rajpoot et al., 2023a) [15] . Initiated in 2006, the programme has grown into a major women-focused rural development initiative in Bihar (Suman and Jahanara, 2022) [19] . It promotes collective action, capacity building and institutional development by organizing rural women into Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Village Organizations (VOs) and Cluster Level Federations (CLFs). By March 2022, JEEViKA had facilitated more than 10.35 lakh SHGs, 67,624 VOs and 1,353 CLFs across Bihar, providing a broad institutional base for women's social and economic empowerment (Singh, 2023) [18] . Participation in JEEViKA has improved women's access to financial resources, household decision-making and community activities. The programme also provides regular interaction www.extensionjournal.com with community-level functionaries who support beneficiaries through information, guidance, training and facilitation of programme-related activities (Madhuprasad et al.,2024) [10] . Previous studies have also reported positive effects of SHG participation on women's economic, social and psychological well-being (Goswami et al., 2021) [6] . Therefore, examining the role of JEEViKA in promoting women's empowerment and livelihood development is important for understanding its contribution to rural development in Bihar. Objectives 1. To identify the major livelihood activities undertaken by the beneficiaries under the JEEViKA programme. 2. To assess the livelihood security of beneficiaries under the JEEViKA programme across different dimensions. 3. To ascertain the relationship between the selected socioeconomic and personal characteristics of beneficiaries and their livelihood security. 4. To identify the major constraints faced by the beneficiaries in availing the benefits of the JEEViKA programme.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in Samastipur district of Bihar, where the JEEViKA programme has been implemented extensively. The district was selected purposively considering the comparatively wider presence of JEEViKA beneficiaries. From the 20 blocks of the district, Sarairanjan block was selected purposively based on the presence of a large number of functional Self-Help Groups and JEEViKA beneficiaries. Out of the 46 villages covered under JEEViKA in the selected block, four villages, namely Gangapur Athar, BathuaBuzrug, Bakhri Buzrug and Gaupur were selected purposively. A total of 145 JEEViKA beneficiaries were selected from these villages through proportionate random sampling. The investigation followed a cross-sectional approach, with data collected from the respondents at a single point in time. Primary data were obtained through personal interviews using a structured interview schedule covering information related to livelihood activities, livelihood security across seven dimensions, socio-economic, personal characteristics and constraints faced in availing JEEViKA benefits. The collected data were coded, tabulated and analysed using frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation and Correlation Analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Overall, the beneficiaries showed favourable responses across all dimensions. Economic security was reflected through improvements in income, savings and access to credit, while food and nutritional security indicated better food availability and consumption. Health security was associated with improved family health, access to clean drinking water and health insurance. Social security reflected greater utilization of government schemes, training participation and confidence in community institutions.

Results and Discussion

Ecological security indicated awareness of plantation, efficient resource utilization and waste management. Psychological security showed improvements in confidence, risk-taking, decision-making and innovative thinking. Physical security was reflected through improved asset ownership, communication facilities and housing conditions. Overall, the findings indicate that JEEViKA contributed positively to the economic, social, psychological and other dimensions of livelihood security among the beneficiaries. These findings are aligned with (Lohar et al., 2024 and Babu and Rajan, 2026) [9,1] . No. 3 presents the relationship between selected socioeconomic and personal characteristics of JEEViKA beneficiaries and their livelihood security. The findings revealed that age had a negative and significant relationship with livelihood security (r = -0.431). Education (r = 0.797), type of house (r = 0.782), occupation (r = 0.785), activities performed under JEEViKA (r = 0.868) and annual income (r = 0.764) showed positive and significant relationships with livelihood security. Among the personal characteristics, risk orientation showed the strongest positive relationship (r = 0.912), followed by extension contact (r = 0.884), activities performed under JEEViKA (r = 0.868) and social participation (r = 0.861). Attitude towards JEEViKA activities (r = 0.803), self-confidence (r = 0.648), leadership ability (r = 0.672), achievement motivation (r = 0.572) and decision-making ability (r = 0.527) also exhibited positive and significant relationships with livelihood security. In contrast, size of family showed a positive but non-significant relationship (r = 0.146). Overall, the findings indicate that most of the selected socio-economic and personal characteristics were significantly associated with the livelihood security of JEEViKA beneficiaries. These findings are aligned with (Radadiya et al., 2025 and Babu and Rajan, 2026) [14,2] . www.extensionjournal.com [5,8] . [8,13] . [8,13] . [3,13,11] .

Conclusion

The study highlights the contribution of the JEEViKA programme towards strengthening the livelihood opportunities and livelihood security of rural women. www.extensionjournal.com Agriculture, dairy farming and goat rearing emerged as the major livelihood activities undertaken by the beneficiaries, indicating the continued importance of agriculture-and livestock-based activities in supporting rural livelihoods. The assessment of livelihood security across economic, food and nutritional, health, social, ecological, psychological and physical dimensions indicated generally favourable responses among the beneficiaries. Most of the selected socio-economic and personal characteristics showed a significant relationship with livelihood security, while family size exhibited a non-significant relationship.

The study further identified social, technological, economic and other constraints affecting beneficiaries' participation and access to programme benefits. Based on these findings, greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening market linkages, digital marketing and entrepreneurship skills, improving access to value addition and profitable livelihood enterprises, facilitating suitable and regular SHG meeting arrangements, and providing information and training in locally understandable languages. Strengthening extension contact, social participation, risk-taking capacity and women's decision-making and leadership abilities may further enhance the livelihood outcomes of JEEViKA beneficiaries. Overall, a more integrated, market-oriented and women-centred approach to livelihood promotion can improve the effectiveness and sustainability of JEEViKA interventions and contribute to enhanced livelihood security among rural women in Samastipur district of Bihar.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe researchers sincerely acknowledge the valuable support and cooperation received from Ms. Nidhi Singh (PM-RD), Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), JEEViKA, Patna, for granting the necessary approval and facilitating the conduct of this study. The researchers also express their heartfelt gratitude to the rural women beneficiaries of Samastipur district for their kind cooperation, time and valuable information provided during the study.

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