The district panchayat project to distribute free bicycles for Scheduled Caste students in the district got under way here on Friday.
Minister for Forests and Transport Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the initiatives taken by the authorities in the education sector had helped the district to keep itself ahead of other areas in the State. Initiatives such as Project Gurukulam, Vidya Jyothi and other projects had played an important role in helping the district take the top slot in the last SSLC examination, he said.
The distribution of bicycles would be a great encouragement for students from marginalised sectors to enter the mainstream, he said.
As per the project, 4,620 students belonging to the Scheduled Caste category, from Classes VIII and IX studying in 65 government schools and 166 aided schools, will be benefited by the free distribution of bicycles.
According to Kottayam panchayat vice president Philson Mathew, the procurement of the bicycles was entrusted to Keltron. The school authorities would have to take charge of the bicycles from the district headquarters. “The distribution of bicycles in Kottayam educational district has been completed on the first day itself,” he said. The school authorities would have to complete the distribution of bicycles before June 1 when the schools reopen for the new academic year, he added.
