Ahead of poll, bicycles distributed

Jalandhar, February 21

As the Lok Sabha poll are around the corner, the government has started distributing bicycles among girl students of Class XI and XII in government schools. The Mai Bhago Scheme, which was started by the SAD-BJP government, had been withheld last year but re-started now. The bicycles are pink in colour instead of orange and navy blue, as was in the SAD-BJP regime. The ruling Congress is not using the picture of CM Capt Amarinder Singh on them, like the way the bicycles earlier used to have the then CM Parkash Singh Badal’s photos.

These only mention words ‘Punjab sarkar’ and ‘Mai Bhago Sikhya Scheme’ in Punjabi on the baskets attached with them. Though cycles were distributed at GSSS, Nehru Garden, girls could not ride them back home. Instead, they were seen loading them on auto-rickshaws or rickshaws while returning home. “We cannot ride bicycles in such a traffic. We need to practice cycling before using them,” they said. — TNS