Report by Priyabrata Nayak; Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announces cycles for all BPL class-X boys in the state. Chief Minister Patnaik said that the programme would benefit nearly 1.6 lakh students in the state.

Bi-cycles would be provided for the students in government as well as government aided schools. The students would receive the cost of a cycle directly from the school managing committee under direct supervision of the headmaster.

Earlier the state government implemented this scheme for school girls. Under the cycle scheme, girls reading in Standard-X in general Government and Government-aided schools and boys belonging to SC and ST in 118 tribal Sub-Plan blocks are being covered under the bicycle scheme being implemented out of the State’s own fund. The Government had already spent of Rs 75.40 crore for the current year under the scheme for girl.With this annoucement over four lakh fifty thousands students will be covered under the programme.