Over 500 women participate in third annual celebration of LIB’s Gargi Chapter

Gargi Chapter, operating under IPS officer Vikas Vaibhav-led Let’s Inspire Bihar initiative, on May 1 celebrated its third anniversary in Patna where over 500 women from different parts of the state participated.

Under the Gargi Chapter women volunteers offer free education to underprivileged children.

Speaking on the occasion Vaibhav claimed that 2,000 students receive free education from volunteer women educators under this initiative.

Gargi Pathshala centers are currently operational in 21 locations across 10 districts: Patna, Begusarai, Khagaria, Araria, Darbhanga, Nawada, Samastipur, Motihari, Rohtas, and Madhepura. These centers offer free daily education to underprivileged children through dedicated volunteer women educators. Additionally, five more centers have been established in Siwan, Aurangabad, Madhubani, and Gaya, bringing the total to 26 centers across 14 districts.

“The vision behind these centers is that if every panchayat and urban ward in Bihar starts shouldering responsibility for their share of Bihar, the dream of a developed Bihar can soon become a reality,” said Vaibhav, a 2003-batch officer of Indian Police Service (IPS).

He warned that if a large section of Bihar’s population remains deprived of education due to social or economic challenges, they will not be able to meaningfully contribute to the state’s development.

“Therefore, we must rise above caste, community, gender, and ideological divides to ensure no one is left behind in education. After all, Gargi Pathshala’s motto is: ‘Now every child will be skilled, because Gargi Pathshala is in your town!’”

Free Learning Centres

He recalled that when Preeti Bala, the chief coordinator of the Gargi Chapter, first informed him in 2022 about the desire of some educators to start free learning centers, he was initially apprehensive. “I had warned then that it’s better to have fewer but sustainable centers. Today, thanks to the passion of the educators, the initiative that started with just 3 centers in Patna has now expanded to 21 centers and continues to grow daily — a positive sign for Bihar’s bright future.”

Out of the 26 free learning centers operating in 14 districts, 21 are led by women. This reflects the pivotal role women are playing in this voluntary movement.

Vikas Vaibhav emphasised, “A developed India is not possible without a developed Bihar. Bihar has a glorious past, and with collective effort, its future can be equally bright. This campaign is sowing the seeds of a great movement.”

He stated that the campaign has become a shared mission for all Biharis who wish to restore the state’s historical dignity and envision a Bihar where no one needs to leave the state for education, employment, or healthcare.

LIB campaign

Today, more than 200,000 Biharis (including over 15,000 women) are directly connected to the campaign via WhatsApp groups. Across villages and towns, women, youth, farmers, doctors, lawyers, social workers, and aware citizens are taking a pledge to build a developed Bihar.

On March 9, women from every district gathered in Patna for the Gargi Nari Shakti Sammelan and took a collective pledge for Bihar’s progress. On March 22, a historic “Resolution Assembly” was held at Bapu Auditorium, marking four years of the campaign’s journey.

According to Let’s Inspire Bihar’s official website, the campaign is based on the core principles of education, equality, and entrepreneurship. Drawing inspiration from the state’s rich heritage, it calls upon people to rise above narrow identities (caste, community, gender, etc.) and contribute to national development.

Currently, about 2,000 underprivileged students are studying across the 26 centers in 14 districts, with 21 of those centers run by women educators under the Gargi Pathshala banner. The campaign also aims to spark a revolution in entrepreneurship within Bihar, creating local employment and building an ecosystem that supports youth in launching and sustaining startups.

By 2028, the campaign aims to establish at least 5 successful startups in every district that can each provide employment to 100+ individuals.

Emphasizing the need for an entrepreneurial revolution, Vaibhav said: “We dream of a developed Bihar by 2047 where no one needs to leave for education, jobs, or healthcare. But that’s not easy. Out of Bihar’s 140 million population, about 90 million are under the age of 30. To truly develop, we must create over 90 million jobs in the next two decades.”

He noted that even the most honest government cannot provide more than 1 per cent of these jobs through public employment alone. “Currently, Bihar has the lowest per capita income in India at Rs 5,028 per month, compared to Rs 48,979 in Sikkim, Rs 38,493 in Delhi, and others.”

Despite this, he pointed out that Bihar’s current growth rate of 14.5 per cent is promising — anything over 5 per cent is considered a strong economic indicator. However, even at 15 per cent growth, per capita income will only double every 5–10 years, and that’s insufficient. “Unless we break the shackles of caste and ideological fragmentation and focus on entrepreneurship, we will fall far short of our development goals. We need to encourage our youth to become job creators rather than job seekers.”

Vaibhav emphasized that “building a developed Bihar within a developed India is only possible through women’s leadership.” The Gargi Chapter has become a prominent intellectual and social platform for committed women in Bihar. In addition to free education at the learning centers, the initiative is also empowering women through self-employment training at Gargi Kala Kaushal Kendra and other projects under Gargi Kritya.

The Campaign’s Chief Coordinator Rahul Kumar Singh extended his congratulations to all the women involved with Gargi Pathshala and announced the goal of expanding the initiative to every district of Bihar.

Founder of Patna based B.D. Public School, S.B. Rai, praised the efforts of Vikas Vaibhav and Gargi Pathshala, calling Vaibhav “a visionary who has instilled hope for change in Bihar.”

B. Priyam, founder of Scholars Abode Group of Institutions, also lauded the incredible work being done by Let’s Inspire Bihar and Gargi Pathshala. He stated, “Vikas Vaibhav is not just a person, he is an institution in himself.”

Poonam Chaudhary, former Principal of Arvind Mahila College, described the initiative as a revolutionary step for the upliftment of the underprivileged sections of society.

Renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Binda and social worker Love Kumar also addressed the gathering.

The event was moderated by Nutan Pandey of the Gargi Chapter, Rohtas. Shalini Verma, Anita Sharma, Anubha Gupta, and Jitendra Sharma — coordinators of the Patna Gargi Pathshala — briefed the audience on the initiative’s activities.