Chandigarh: Continuing its focus on empowerment of girl students, the Punjab government is all set to distribute free bicycles to 1,52,330 girl students of class 11th and 12thstudying in government schools under its flagship program Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme in a state level function being organized at Jagraon on October 25.
Reviewing the arrangements of the function with MLAs of Ludhiana district and senior officers of Social Security and Education departments and district administration, the Punjab Revenue & Public Relations Minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia informed that the state government has already released funds to the tune of Rs. 41.90 crore for procuring these bicycles and decided to distribute these cycles to the girl students at their schools after symbolic launch of scheme at state level function in Jagraon on October 25. He said that this was a unique initiative of Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, who were committed to go to any extent to motivate the girl students for higher education to empower them. He said that the SAD-BJP government had launched this scheme in year 2011-12 by distributing 1,11,000 free bicycles to girl students worth Rs. 30 crore and it was decided to make it annual feature.
Mr. Majithia informed that it would be the first state level function under series of number of major pro-people programs of Punjab government slated in next one and half months. He said that being elected representatives of Public, it becomes imperative for MLAs to ensure the speedy implementation of such programs so that the targeted beneficiaries could avail timely benefit. He asked the district administration to have a meeting on proposed site of the function and special emphasis should be on availability of ample parking space besides ensuring other provisions including proper drinking water, erection of required tents, setting up of stage so that the people attending the function didn’t face any problem.
Later on, while joining the meeting Punjab Speaker Mr. Charanjit Singh Atwal, who represents the Payal Assembly constituency, underlined the need for proper projection of such pro-people initiatives of state government thereby creating awareness amongst people about such flagship schemes.