India's YOUNG flock to Bihar to work for rural POOR

Bihar is no more bad land for young professionals as dozens of fresh graduates in their early and mid 20s from across India have opt to work for the World Bank-supported Jeevika project in the state.

The Jeevika project that began in 2010 strives to provide livelihood to the poorest of the poor at the grassroots -- block and panchayat -- level, self-help group and empowerment of women.

Jeevika is targetted towards more than 5 crore, or almost 50 per cent, of Bihar's 10.5 crore population that is estimated to be living below the poverty line.

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Neelam Bharti and Abhijeet Jha, both fresh grads in thei early 20s from Institute of Rural Management, Anand (Gujarat), said that they joined to work in Bihar to put into practice whatever they have learnt.

"It is a challenging opportunity for us," they said in reference to their decision to work with Jeevika project in Bihar instead of the corporate sector in metro cities.

According to state government officials Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), a state government body, has hired 85 fresh post graduates of India's top ranking management and social sciences institutes, to help in implementing Jeevika project in rural areas.

Another fresh professional, Ragini Kumar of XISS (Xavier's Institute of Social Science) said that working within the government framework will allow them to relate more to the people at grassroots level.

"We will get first hand experience to work for the poorest of the poor," said Ragini Kumari.

The Bihar government has also roped in a fresh post graduate from the world-famous London School of Economics for the purpose.

"The BRLPS has recruited them at salaries ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 60,000 per month. Not a bad package compared to what these youngsters would earn in the corporate sector," an official in chief minister's office told rediff.com.

Besides, they would be given several other benefits at par with the corporate world.

The BRLPS has picked up 19 students of the IRMA, 15 from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 12 from Xavier Institute of Social Service, Ranchi, 10 from KIIT School of Rural Management, Bhubaneshwar, nine from Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal, and three from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

According to Bihar rural development minister Nitish Mishra, BRLPS has selected young professionals from Haryana, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.

These young professionals from reputed institutions will not only help to implement Jeevika project, they will also cooperate in rolling out the National Rural Livelihood Mission in all 53 blocks of the state," Mishra said. 38 districts

Last year, the state government had advertised at national level for hiring professionals.

The rural development department also has a plan in the pipeline which talks of roping in services of qualified professionals for supervision and monitoring of Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), the achievement of which has not been up to the desirable level (about 50 per cent).