Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana (SJY)(SJY)

Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana (SJY) is a livelihoods programme run by the Government of Bihar for the state's ultra-poor households. It was launched in 2018 and is implemented by JEEViKA, the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society, an autonomous body under the state's Department of Rural Development. Bihar committed INR 840 crore to the programme, which draws on the graduation model that Bandhan-Konnagar and J-PAL South Asia helped adapt for the state.

The scheme follows a graduation approach, moving the poorest families toward a steady income over roughly 24 months of support. That support is sequential: a productive asset the household selects (commonly a small retail enterprise, livestock, or an agriculture-based activity), entrepreneurship training, one-on-one business coaching, access to savings, and short-term consumption support while the new work takes hold. Mentoring reaches households through community cadres drawn from JEEViKA's self-help group network, so the benefit is a composite package rather than a cash grant.

SJY is aimed at ultra-poor households in rural Bihar. It gives particular focus to families traditionally engaged in producing, transporting or selling country liquor and toddy, and to ultra-poor households from SC, ST and other marginalised communities. Much of the programme's reach so far has been among women-headed households. Eligibility is assessed by the implementing agency against its own household criteria, so the scheme covers a defined set of the poorest families rather than all low-income applicants.

Sources: JEEViKA (Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society) - SJY · J-PAL South Asia - Satat Jeevikoparjan Yojana Playbook