Saraswati Sadhana Yojana to Economically Backward Class Girls studying in Class 9(SSYEBC)

The Saraswati Sadhana Yojana is a Gujarat scheme that gives eligible girls a free bicycle once they reach Class 9. It runs under the state's Social Justice and Empowerment Department, with delivery handled through the caste-welfare directorate and the schools where the girls are enrolled. The benefit is in kind, a cycle rather than a cash transfer, and it reaches girls in government and grant-in-aid schools across the state.

Launched in 2019, the scheme is meant to keep girls from economically backward households in school through the secondary years, when the distance to school and the cost of getting there push many to drop out. A bicycle shortens the daily commute and lets a student carry on past Class 8 without depending on anyone else for transport. Eligibility is targeted, not open to every Class 9 girl: it is set by category and by a family income ceiling that the department fixes.

Girls do not apply on their own. Government and grant-in-aid schools identify the students who qualify and file proposals with the education and welfare offices on their behalf, and cycles then go to those approved. If you think you are eligible, check with your school, which handles the enrolment and the paperwork.

Sources: myScheme - Saraswati Sadhana Yojana to Economically Backward Class Girls (Government of India scheme portal) · Govt Schemes India - Gujarat Saraswati Sadhana Yojana · Gujarat Samachar - Saraswati Sadhana Yojana: DEO asks schools to submit proposals