All the district education officers were directed to ensure that girls studying in class IX are given free cycles in plains and fixed deposits for the amount equal to the cost of a cycle in mountainous areas under Girl Education Encouragement (free cycle) scheme by May 20, said school education director CS Gwal. Around 52,000 students will be benefited under the scheme.
Gwal said that he had recently reviewed this scheme with the district education officers and it was observed that students are yet receive either the cycle or FDs under the scheme.
Following this, he has directed the DEOs to ensure that students are given the cycles under above scheme by May 20. Departmental action will be taken against the district officials who fail to meet the deadline.
Gwal further said that a total of 52,592 girl students including 16, 318 girls who are studying in Government schools in the plains would be given free cycle whereas 36,278 girls in schools located in mountainous parts would receive bank fix deposit of around Rs 2,850 each for two years.
The education department had released around Rs 4.65 crore for providing cycles to the students in plains, which includes around Rs one crore to Dehradun district for 3,509 students; Rs 64.26 lakh to Haridwar for 2,255 students; Rs 70. 96 lakh to Nainital for 2,490 students; Rs 20.66 lakh to Pauri for 725 students; Rs 1.25 lakh to Tehri for 44 students and Rs 2.07 crore to Udham Singh Nagar for 7,295 students, he added.
To provide FDs to the students in mountainous areas under the scheme, the department had released around
Rs 10.33 crore which included Rs 1.5 crore to Almora for 5,539 students, Rs 60 lakh to Bageshwar for 2,132 students, Rs 58.62 crore to Champawat for 2057 students; Rs 78.26 lakh to Nainital for 2746 students, Rs 1.14 crore to Pithoragarh for 4,023 students, Rs 33.74 lakh to Dehradun for 1184 students, Rs 1.61 crore to Tehri for 5682 students, Rs 82.99 lakh to Uttarkashi for 2912 students, Rs 1.01 crore to Chamoli for 3,568 students, Rs 1.17 crore to Pauri for 4,121 students, Rs 65.94 to Rudraprayag for 2,314
students. It should be mentioned here that to enable Class IX girl students to reach Government schools and mitigating the school dropout rate, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had launched GEE (free cycles) Scheme on April 4, 2013.