Bicycle yojana has given wings to girls’ aspirations: Nitish Kumar

Stating that his government does not discriminate among any class/caste/religion in delivery of benefits of any scheme, Kumar said the bicycle scheme was meant for everybody.

Bhagalpur, Jan 20: Highlighting that the bicycle yojana has given “wings to aspirations of girls”, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said the scheme has dramatically boosted enrolment of girls in class IX, which has come almost at par with the boys. “When the bicycle scheme was launched (2006) only 1.7 lakh girls were enrolled in schools across the state in class IX, which today has risen to 8.15 lakh,” Kumar said addressing a ‘Chetna sabha’ as part of his ‘Nishchay yatra’ here. “Ratio of enrolment of boys and girls has become almost equal in class IX,” he said adding, the scheme has virtually added “wings to the aspirations of girls to fly high.” Stating that his government does not discriminate among any class/caste/religion in delivery of benefits of any scheme, Kumar said the bicycle scheme was meant for everybody.

He said in addition to reserving 50 per cent of seats in panchayats and urban local bodies for women, the grand alliance government within days of taking oath in November 2015, had fulfilled one out of the ‘seven resolves’ of reserving 35 per cent of vacancies for women in all state government jobs. Kumar is on his ‘Nishchay yatra’ since November last year in course of which he takes feedback on liquor ban and implementation of his ‘seven resolves’ which promise to provide electricity, toilet, drinking water and sewage facilities among others to every household in the next four-year term of the government.

Accompanied by state Water Resources Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lallan, Development Commissioner Shishir Sinha and a host of MPs and MLAs and district chiefs of JD(U), RJD and Congress, the CM dwelt on all other programmes as part of the seven resolves, including the advantages of Public Grievance Redressal Act, 2016. Kumar talked elaborately on prohibition, which is in force in the state since April last year and highlighted its positive outcome in terms of transformation of environment at home and localities. The CM exhorted people to participate in the mammoth human chain tomorrow to reaffirm commitment towards prohibition and said the human chain would affirm that the entire state was in favour of ban on alcohol.