BRCs Fail To Distribute Bicycles To 6th And 9th Class Students Across Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The distribution of bicycles to 6th and 9th-class students in government schools has been severely delayed, with Block Resource Coordinators (BRCs) lagging behind in their responsibilities. Despite the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) sanctioning the cycles and allocating them to each district, only 2.48% of the cycles for 6th-class students and 4.6% for 9th-class students have been distributed across the state.

The BRCs, who are responsible for distributing these cycles at the local level, have been unable to keep up with the process. According to DPIís official data as of October 9, a total of 18,506 bicycles have been distributed ó 3,856 for 6th class students and 14,650 for 9th class students. A total of 474,194 bicycles have been distributed under the scheme, leaving 455,688 cycles yet to reach students.

Additionally, in Bhopal, no cycles have been distributed for either 6th or 9th-class students. A total of 2,108 cycles for 9th and 1,055 cycles for 6th students are still pending distribution in the district. For the 2024-25 academic year, the school education department had planned to distribute 4.5 lakh bicycles free of cost to government school students.

A provision of Rs 195 crore was made in the departmental budget for this purpose. However, the slow pace of distribution by the BRCs has led to significant delays, prompting department officials to issue urgent instructions.

Anurag Jaiswal, joint director DPI overseeing the cycle distribution status said that the department has directed the BRCs to finalize eligibility criteria and expedite the distribution process. District officials have been asked to ensure that all cycles are distributed by November 2024.

Class 9Th : Dists with no cycle distribution

A number of districts, including Ashoknagar, Umaria, Niwari, Seoni, Mandsaur, Harda, Gwalior, Sagar, Barwani, Neemuch, Chhatarpur, Agar Malwa, Damoh, Narmadapuram, Anuppur, and Guna, have yet to distribute a single bicycle to 9th-class students.

Class 6Th : 37 dists yet to distribute cycles so far

For 6th class students, 37 districts have reported no bicycle distribution so far. Cycles have only been distributed in a limited number of districts, including Narsinghpur, Dindori, Khargone, Ratlam, Guna, Burhanpur, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Jhabua, Mandsaur, Dewas, Indore, Katni, and Dhar.

The scheme

The free cycle distribution scheme aims to assist rural students, especially those from villages without secondary or high schools, by providing them with bicycles to commute to school. Under this scheme, students are eligible for a bicycle when they enrol in 6th and 9th classes. Additionally, girls residing in rural hostels and studying at schools located two kilometres or more away are also provided with bicycles to make their journey to school easier.