JEEVIKA's Contribution to Enhancing Traditional Textiles and Empowering Women Artisans of Bihar

The revival of traditional textile livelihoods in Bihar is increasingly regarded as an essential approach for reducing rural poverty, promoting women’s empowerment, and preserving cultural heritage. In this context, JEEVIKA (Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society) under the Bihar Government has emerges as a comprehensive, community-driven institutional model that integrates social mobilization, financial inclusion, skill enhancement, and market connectivity to foster sustainable and inclusive development. Structured around a three-tier framework that includes Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Village Organizations, and Cluster Level Federations, JEEVIKA reimagines rural women artisans as active economic participants and joint decision-makers instead of merely passive beneficiaries of welfare assistance. By establishing producer groups, enhancing access to formal financing, bolstering technical and entrepreneurial skills, and developing varied marketing avenues, the program links traditional crafts with modern markets. This chapter examines JEEVIKA’s structural framework, empowerment strategies, and socio-economic results for female artisans in Bihar’s traditional textile industry, while thoughtfully addressing ongoing issues associated with quality control, integration into global markets, and sustainability in the environment. This approach establishes JEEVIKA as a replicable framework for community-focused rural development that aligns economic progress with social equity and cultural conservation