In a shocking turn of events, more than 1,500 brand-new scooters aimed at helping deserving girls from underprivileged families pursue higher education lie wasted in two colleges in Banswara, southern Rajasthan. Bought at ₹80,000 each in the Rajasthan government’s flagship Kali Bai Bheel Scooty Scheme, these scooters are nearly ₹12 crore of taxpayer money left to rust.
Launched in 2020, the scheme encouraged girls with a high academic record from families with annual incomes of less than ₹2.5 lakh to continue their studies in Classes 11 and 12 and at the college level. Eligibility criteria included students scoring 65% or higher in state board exams and 75% or more in CBSE exams for Classes 10 and 12.
The scooters have been parked on the campuses of Vidyamandir College and Hardev Joshi Government Girls College in Banswara since 2023. Delays in distribution are blamed on a change in government late last year and the model code of conduct now in force for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP took over after it emerged as the winner of the Assembly elections, ousting the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government that launched the scheme.
Upon applying for the scooters, the finance department is supposed to generate a QR code to ensure that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, but such codes have not been generated for the 1,500 scooters here.
Dr. Sarla Pandya, principal of Hardev Joshi Government Girls College, said, “We are the nodal college for distributing scooters under the welfare scheme. Distribution has been delayed due to the model code of conduct, and we are now waiting for approval from the finance department.”.
The opposition thus criticized the negligence of the present government. Banswara MP Raj Kumar Roat of the Bharat Adivasi Party termed the situation “criminal negligence.” He said it was disheartening that the scooters were rusting instead of serving beneficiaries for whom the facility was meant. Thereafter, after some queries, the administration started checking whether the scooters were in working condition by pulling them into open ground and checking the ignition.
Rajasthan Minister for Tribal Welfare Babu Lal Kharadi promised that the scooters would be distributed within a week but kept silent over why the new BJP government took almost a year to take over the situation. “About 3,000 scooters were purchased in 2023, and 1,500 are still to be distributed. The problem started with the previous government.
Elections to the Lok Sabha and the subsequent session of the Assembly caused delays, but we will ensure that scooters are distributed without any further delay,” he asserted. Kharadi also indicated that he would initiate action against officials responsible for the neglect of government assets.
