Hemant Sarkar Government Initiates Bicycle and Scholarship Scheme
Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren-led government announces a major initiative to boost education access for general category students, involving bicycles and scholarships.
JAMSHEDPUR – In a move to bolster educational accessibility, the Jharkhand government under Hemant Sarkar has rolled out a significant initiative for general category students.
The program’s first phase involves distributing bicycles to 10,000 selected students across various districts.
These students, already identified from different regions, will receive Rs 3,500 each for bicycles through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Targeting eighth-pass students initially, the initiative also includes a scholarship scheme set to benefit 1.20 lakh students in its first phase.
The recipients of these scholarships will be determined based on the recent examination held on December 17.
Under the scholarship scheme, students from class 1 to 4 will receive Rs 500 annually, while those in classes 6 to 7 and 7 to 10 will get Rs 1000 each year.
Students in classes 11th and 12th are earmarked to receive Rs 2300 per year.
The disbursement of these funds is scheduled between December and January.
Additionally, the National Means cum Merit Scholarship is in its final stages, offering Rs 12,000 annually to selected students from class 9th to 12th, based on the December 17 examination.
Eligibility for this scholarship requires students to have passed class VII in the 2022-23 academic year and be enrolled in class VIII for 2023-24.
SC and ST students benefit from a five percent relaxation in marks, with a parental income cap of Rs 3.50 lakh.
Already, Rs 220 crore has been transferred for bicycle purchases to 4.90 lakh government school students, with another 3.10 lakh students expected to receive their funds by December 29.
The Welfare Department, in collaboration with district authorities, has compiled a comprehensive list of approximately 8 lakh eligible children, including ST, SC, BC, and other categories, for this wide-ranging educational aid program.
