Hyderabad, Oct. 30 -- The transfer of Rs 10,000 to (till now) 1.21 crore women by the Nitish Kumar government for starting small businesses is being interpreted by his supporters as another step in the direction of empowering them. They link it with the policy of distributing bicycles and school uniforms to girls, paying scholarships to them, and several other such initiatives taken in the last two decades. But independent critics like former Union finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, see it as 'bribe' about 50% of the population just ahead of the election.

Anyway, it is high time to objectively analyze the success or failure of the 20 years of Nitish government's policy regarding women. Has it really achieved anything substantial, or...