Agartala:The Tripura government will distribute free bicycles to 41,800 Class IX girl students this academic year under a scheme aimed at improving school access and reducing dropout rates.
Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha launched the programme at Shishu Bihar School in Agartala on Monday, calling education the cornerstone of women’s empowerment. He noted that girls from rural and distant areas would particularly benefit, as the bicycles would ease their daily commute to school.
In a notable policy change, the government has scrapped the income eligibility condition, making every Class IX girl enrolled in a government school eligible for the benefit regardless of family income.
Dr. Saha also highlighted that Tripura already reserves 33 per cent of government jobs for women, framing the bicycle scheme as part of a broader push for gender equity and female independence.
The launch coincides with the state’s transition to the revised CBSE curriculum under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. However, education stakeholders have raised concerns about delayed availability of Bengali-medium textbooks aligned with the new syllabus, and about school readiness to implement reforms including the three-language policy, vocational education, and AI-based learning.
While the Chief Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to NEP 2020 implementation, he did not address these concerns directly.
Educationists welcomed the bicycle initiative but cautioned that lasting reform will require timely textbooks, trained teachers, and adequate digital infrastructure.