A government-backed insurance recruitment programme is giving women across India's small towns and villages a structured three-year path into paid work, complete with a fixed monthly stipend, hands-on training and the chance to become a certified insurance agent earning commission. Officially called the Mahila Career Agent scheme, or MCA, it was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2024 and is widely known by its public name, the LIC Bima Sakhi Yojana.
Why the scheme exists
For a large number of women living outside India's bigger cities, a steady source of income has long remained out of reach. Local job options are often limited, and for many women the only realistic path to paid work has meant leaving their homes behind and moving to a city. The LIC Bima Sakhi Yojana was built around a different idea: instead of asking women to migrate for work, it trains them to become agents of financial and insurance awareness inside their own communities. The scheme has set itself the target of appointing 2 lakh women as Bima Sakhis, with the dual aim of spreading insurance and financial literacy in areas that remain underserved and of creating independent livelihoods for women who have so far stayed outside the formal workforce.
Who can apply
The scheme is open to women between the ages of 18 and 70. To apply, a woman must have completed a minimum of 18 years of age as on the date of application, while the maximum age allowed for entry into the scheme is 70. Age alone does not guarantee a place, though. Every applicant must also clear a pre-recruitment test prescribed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, or IRDAI, and must be able to devote adequate time to agency work once she is selected.
Not everyone qualifies, however. The scheme specifically excludes employees of the Central government, State governments or public sector undertakings, along with women who are already working as LIC agents. Close relatives of existing or former LIC agents, LIC employees or ex-employees, or LIC medical examiners, meaning a spouse, children, parents, siblings or immediate in-laws, are also barred from applying. In addition, retired LIC employees or former agents who are hoping to be reappointed cannot join the scheme as Bima Sakhis.
How to apply and what documents are needed
Women who meet the eligibility criteria can apply through the official LIC website at licindia.in/lic-s-bima-sakhi. The application process requires a standard set of documents: an Aadhaar card, a PAN card, a 10th pass certificate, a passport-size photograph, address proof and bank account details. Once an applicant clears selection, she is allotted an agency code, following LIC's usual process for appointing agents.
How much money a Bima Sakhi can make
The financial support under the scheme is designed to taper down gradually over three years, while commission income is meant to pick up the slack as a Bima Sakhi's business grows. In the first year, selected women receive a stipend of Rs 7,000 per month. This drops to Rs 6,000 per month in the second year, and further down to Rs 5,000 per month in the third year. On top of this stipend, every Bima Sakhi also earns commission on the insurance policies she sells, which means her total monthly income can end up considerably higher than the stipend amount alone, depending on how much business she generates.
The conditions attached to the stipend
The stipend is not paid automatically every month regardless of performance. To actually receive it, a Bima Sakhi has to meet monthly business targets, which include selling a minimum number of policies and earning a specified level of first-year commission. There is also a renewal condition tied to the second and third years of the scheme: at least 65% of the policies a Bima Sakhi sold in the previous year must still be active for her to remain eligible for the stipend going forward. If a particular month turns out to be inactive and the targets are not met, no stipend is paid for that month. That shortfall is not necessarily lost forever, though, it can still be claimed later within the same year if the Bima Sakhi goes on to meet the required targets in a subsequent month.
What happens after the three years are over
Once the three-year stipend period comes to an end, a Bima Sakhi's association with LIC does not end with it. She simply transitions into working as a regular LIC agent, from that point earning purely through commission on the policies she sells. The scheme also builds in a further step up the career ladder for women who stay the course: graduate Bima Sakhis who go on to complete five years of service as LIC agents become eligible to apply for the post of Apprentice Development Officer, or ADO, provided they meet the other eligibility conditions that apply to that role.
