Sabuj Sathi: Tender floated for 20L cycles

Kolkata: West Bengal Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes Development and Finance Corporation has floated tender on Friday for 20 lakh cycles under Sabuj Sathi project.

The cycles will be distributed among students studying in-class IX in state-run, aided, sponsored schools and Madrasas and those who will be promoted to class IX in 2021.

It is expected that the distribution of the cycles will start towards the end of 2020. The state government has so far distributed around 83 lakh cycles to the students studying between classes IX and XII worth around Rs 2,700

crore. Sabuj Sathi, an initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been a great success. It was introduced in October 2015, five years ago when she distributed the first batch of cycles among the students of Gopibalabpur Block II, then in West Midnapore and now in Jhargram district. In 2020 the project was declared "winner" by the World Summit of Information Society. Banerjee has expressed her willingness to set up cycle manufacturing factories in Bengal as there is a steady need of cycles in the state because of this project.

The BCW department has the names of all the 83 lakh students along with the names of their parents or guardians, the dates when they had received the cycles, the class they were studying in at that time and names of the schools. The logo of Sabuj Sathi which is affixed to the cycles was sketched by Mamata Banerjee. The cycles are fitted with reflectors as safety devices.

The BCW has given training to unemployed youths and given them tools so that they can earn their livelihood by repairing cycles.

The impact of the project is huge. It has successfully reduced the number of school drops among girls hailing from the rural and semi-urban areas. During the lockdown many people were seen attending their office in Sabuj Sathi cycles belonging to their sons or daughters.