'Sabuj Sathi' wins global honour
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dream project– Sabuj Sathi, has become the "winner" of the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Award for 2019.
The virtual prize giving ceremony will take place on September 7. It may be recalled that Sabuj Sathi had bagged the "champion" award along with five projects in 2018. A team comprising SK Thade the then principal secretary, Backward Classes Welfare department, Roshni Sen, principal secretary Technical Education, Training and Skill Development department and Partha Pratim Manna, managing director West Bengal Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporation had gone to Geneva to receive the prize in April, 2019.
Sabuj Sathi had contested with 800 projects to become the "winner" under the e-government category.
Mamata Banerjee had handed over the cycles to the students at a function at Gopiballavpur now in Jhargram district in October , 2015.
The cycles are given to the students of state run, sponsored, aided schools and madrasas studying between classes IX and XII. The state government has so far distributed cycles among 82 lakh students at an estimated cost of over Rs 2,700 crore. The price of each cycle being Rs 3,320. CPI(M) had criticised Banerjee for the project alleging that the quality of cycles was poor. However, time has proved that it is one of the most successful projects introduced by the state government.
Sumi Sutradhar, the daughter of a carpenter father and seasonal agriculture worker mother, had to give up her studies as Labpur Satyanarayan Siksha Niketan as her school was 5km away from their home. However, she was able to carry on with her studies because of the bicycle given to her under the Sabuj Sathi scheme.
Hasina Khatun a student of class XI of Harlal United Madrasa said she needed a cycle to reach her school which was 6 km away. Her father who is a street vendor could not buy a cycle for her. "My parents wanted me to carry on with the studies but to do it I had to walk 6km every day. Sabuj Sathi has given me a bicycle which has helped me to go to my school every day."
It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that the state government was eager to set up cycle factories in Bengal. Sabuj Sathi has successfully brought down the number of school drop outs particularly the girls in rural and semi urban Bengal.
