Ranchi District Welfare Department Distributes Bicycles to 19,020 Students for Improved Access to Education

Ranchi: The district welfare department, in coordination with the education department, is ditributing bicycles among 19,020 Class VII students of marginalised communities across the district in the current fiscal to ensure that they have better access to education.The initiative, which began in July, is designed to address one of the key barriers to schooling — long and difficult commutes. Nearly 10,000 bicycles have been distributed, officials said.The education department has taken up a parallel initiative to distribute 660 bicycles to Class VIII students from the general category, of which 454 have been handed over so far.Additional district programme officer Pankaj Kumar said, “These students often face challenges in going to schools due to long distances and the absence of reliable transportation.

By providing them bicycles, the authorities aim to remove this obstacle, thereby reducing the dropout rates and improving regular attendance.”“Authorities believe the bicycle distribution programme will play a vital role in reducing dropout rates and improving attendance levels, particularly in areas where children walk several kilometres to reach their schools,” Pankaj said.