Orissa plays cycle politics,to provide wheels to SCs/STs

Though the class X ST and SC girl students were getting a bi-cycle each earlier,the government had decided to extend the scheme for all the girls studying in government and government-aided schools across the state,said Patnaik.

About 1,72,000 girls are likely to benefit from the state government’s new decision.

While the dropout rate among ST girls was 37.87 per cent five years ago before launching of the free bicycle scheme,it came down to 9.72 per cent in 2010.

Similarly,the dropout rate among SC girls also declined from 23.32 per cent in 2005 to 6.96 per cent in 2010,official sources said.

Realising that the free bi-cycles,free uniform and free accomodation in residential schools had helped in bringing down the dropout rates among ST and SC girls,the state government decided to extend the facility for boys in scheduled areas.

“There are many poor girls from general category. Free bi-cycle scheme for all girls will be helpful for many poor girls,” said Dibakar Mohanty,a school teacher.

The schemes announced today would be implemented from the next academic year,an official of the mass education department said.

While the state government is likely to spend Rs 46 crore for giving free bi-cycles to all girl students,state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) would take the financial burdern of giving bi-cycles to all ST & SC 10 class boys in scheduled areas and uniform,the sources said.