Bhubaneswar:  Odisha government today launched a bicycle scheme for 10th standard boy students from SC/ST & BPL families. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over cheques of Rs 2600 each to some students while inaugurating the scheme here at a function on Gandhi Jayanti at the Capital High School.

Stating that education was a powerful medium to transform soci-economic condition of poor families, Patnaik said his government's free bicycles for girls of all categories and boys of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe boys have yielded a satisfactory result. CM Naveen Patnaik says it would attract more students towards school.

The state government has launched the Rs 135 crore bicycle scheme covering 5.20 lakh students in state run schools.