In order to enable Class IX girl students to reach Government schools and mitigating the school dropout rate, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna inaugurated Girl Education Encouragement (free cycle) Scheme in a programme held in Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Dehradun on Thursday.
Under this scheme, class IX girl students studying in government schools in the plains would be given free cycle by the state government whereas girls in schools located in mountainous parts would receive bank fix deposit of around Rs 3, 000 for two years.
On the occasion, Bahuguna distributed cycles to 50 school girls and gave cheques to prinicapls for creating fix deposits for 30 students of Government Inter College, Saiya, 14 students of lakhwar and 29 students of Nagthat.
In his address, Bahuguna said that the objective of this scheme was to put a check on dropout rate of girl students after class VIII.
This scheme was launched to increase the number of girls joining schools as cycles would make it convenient for girls in the plains to reach school and the FDs would also give an incentive to girls in mountainous areas.
The CM said girl education would greatly help society to progress. Indian women were not lagging behind in any field and must enjoy all possibilities for development. He called upon the school students present to plan their careers and work hard to achieve their goals.
The education minister Mantri Prasad Naithani said that the CM’s scheme would prove beneficial. A recent survey had shown Uttarakhand to be a leading state in the field of education.
Secretary, School Education, Manisha Panwar said under the scheme free cycles will be given to girl students of Class IX in plains and an FDs for the amount equal to the cost of a cycle would be handed over to girls in mountainous areas at the time of passing Class XII.
In the first phase of the scheme, 16318 girls in 22 development blocks in the plains will be given cycles and 36,278 girls in mountainous areas will be given FDs. The cost of the scheme per annum in the first phase would be around Rs 16 crore. This scheme will also be implemented in 218 government aided schools.
Students were excited to receive cycle from the chief minister and said that they would reach their school on time. Some of the students who received cycles were Arti, Swati, Manisha, Sonam and Jyoti among others.
Other Present on the occasion included MlA Umesh Sharma, Principal Secretary Rakesh Sharma, DG (School Education) RK Sudhanshu, DG (Information) Vinod Sharma, DM BVRC Purushottam, director CS Gwal, Dehradun chief education officer SP Khali, teachers and government school students.