Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday inaugurated ‘Jeevika Didi’s Kitchen’ at the new Patna Police Centre. Inaugurating a centralised kitchen-cum-dining hall and a 700-capacity male constable barrack at the new Patna Police Centre, the Chief Minister said here that nearly 3,000 police personnel living in the police lines will now get nutritious food at affordable rates. This will save their time and effort, enabling them to perform their duties more efficiently. He added that the initiative will also provide employment to about 120 Jeevika Didis.

The Chief Minister also reviewed the proposed Phase-2 expansion plan of the Patna Police Line with an estimated cost of Rs 266 crore, and took detailed information from officials.

Accompanying him, the Director General of Police briefed Kumar that under Phase-2, several facilities will be constructed, including sergeant major residences, male and female constable barracks, quarters for officers, servant quarters, a school building, sewer line, tubular firing range and an auditorium.

Under Phase-1, the construction of administrative buildings, barracks and the centralised kitchen have already been completed.

Kumar later inspected the new kitchen cum dining hall.

Introduced in 2018 as Didi's Kitchen in Sadar Hospital, Hajipur in Vaishali district. the government renamed the scheme as ‘Jeevika Didi’s Kitchen’ later.

At present, 334 Jeevika Didi’s Kitchens are functioning across Bihar in hospitals, medical colleges, residential schools, old age homes, administrative offices, the Bihar Police Academy at Rajgir and other police training centres, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the scheme is providing low-cost nutritious meals to people and direct employment to more than 4,000 Jeevika Didis, besides creating indirect employment opportunities through self-help groups supplying food items. He added that the number of such kitchens will be expanded further in future.