Over 400 bicycles handed over to school students

Minister for Energy Gottipati Ravi Kumar on Friday handed over 349 bicycles to the students of Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Makkenavaripalem and 104 bicycles to the students of Government Upper Primary School in Kommalapadu, both villages at Santhamaguluru mandal in Bapatla district.

The bicycles are part of 1,000 bicycles donated by SEIL Energy India Ltd., Nellore-based independent power producer, to school children in Addanki Constituency of Bapatla district, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The initiative is part of a broader plan to provide bicycles to 10,000 students in the region by the end of the year.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said, “This is not just a gesture of support, but an investment in the future of rural students. The bicycles help improve school attendance, punctuality, and physical fitness. The decline in cycle usage in rural areas needed to be addressed with practical interventions like this”.

He also lauded the CSR partners for their contribution and personally thanked the company representatives. He mentioned the success of “Talliki Vandanam” scheme, under which financial assistance is being deposited to eligible students’ families. He instructed officials to resolve any pending disbursements without delay.

Highlighting the Coalition government’s commitment to education, Mr. Gottipati said that the school students are being provided with quality meals, bags, and textbooks free of political branding under the leadership of Minister for Education Nara Lokesh. He said that the government is ensuring a supportive learning environment across all government schools.

During the visit, the Minister responded to requests for an RO water plant at the Makkenavaripalem ZPHS and immediately directed its installation. He also assured to complete the repair works at all school buildings and to construct new ones wherever required. As part of the visit to the village, he also inaugurated new CC roads and side drains worth ₹30 lakh.

Janmejaya Mahapatra, CEO of SEIL Energy India Ltd, said, “We believe that education is the most powerful tool for community transformation. Through this initiative, we are not just donating bicycles – we are helping unlock the future potential of 1,000 children. We are proud to partner with the State government in advancing this noble and meaningful cause.”

All 1,000 beneficiaries are underprivileged school students from rural areas, and many of them are first-generation learners. This project is part of SEIL’s broader CSR commitment across four key pillars: education, health, decarbonisation and skill and entrepreneurship development. Over the past decade, it has positively impacted about one million lives through the CSR initiatives, he added.

It may be noted here that Mr. Gottipati Ravi Kumar had last week handed over 137 bicycles to the students of ZPHS at Vellalacheruvu village in the same mandal, and earlier distributed 452 bicycles to students of ZPHS at Medarametla village in Korisapadu mandal of the district. The beneficiaries include girl students from Classes 6 to 10.