The Sabooj Sathi scheme is a flagship program of the state government for the promotion of holistic education and welfare of the students of West Bengal. Under this scheme, bicycles are provided to the students of the state to alleviate the inconvenience of commuting to school. According to the state government, the scheme has so far distributed bicycles to around 85 lakh students at an estimated cost of over Rs 2,700 crore.
The Sabooj Sathi scheme was first announced in the academic year 2015-16, where it is said that bicycles will be distributed to an estimated 40 lakh students studying in classes IX to XII in government and government-aided schools and madrasas in the state. This article discusses in detail the important information about the objective, benefits, eligibility criteria, required documents etc. of the Sabooj Sathi scheme.
What is Sabooj Sathi Scheme
One of the most popular activities is the distribution of free bicycles to high school students in several states of India. West Bengal’s Sabooj Sathi Scheme is also the same initiative first launched in 2015, which aims to distribute bicycles to all students of classes IX to XII studying in government or government-aided secondary and higher secondary schools.
In order to run this Sabooj Sathi Scheme successfully, the ‘Nodal Agency’ of the Scheme, ‘Backward Class Welfare Department’, Pratichi Institute under Pratichi Trust of India has been assigned the task of evaluating the Scheme.
The cost of implementation of the Sabooj Sathi scheme is borne by the ‘Backward Class Welfare Department’ for SC and OBC students, the ‘Tribal Development Department’ for ST students, the School Education Board for general category students and the Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department for minority students.
After the Kanyashree Scheme, this green partner Scheme of the West Bengal government has won awards in competitions all over the world. A total of 800 Schemes from across the world competed under the e-Government category and the ‘World Summit on the Information Society’ (WSIS) nominated the Sabooj Sathi Scheme as the winner of the award 2020 through a virtual event.
Sabooj Sathi Scheme Objectives
The Sabooj Sathi Scheme was mainly developed with the primary objective of increasing students’ access to secondary education. Students often have to travel long distances to attend school and study. In that case they mainly have to face this transportation problem. Under this scheme it has been possible to empower the students by providing them with bicycles.
Besides, other objectives of this Scheme are:
- Retention of students in school
- Encouraging students to pursue higher education
- Removing barriers in education
- Promoting environmentally friendly and healthy transport
The Scheme was designed in such a way that it won high praise from students, parents and teachers and bagged the first place for the United Nations’ highest award for public service.
Sabooj Sathi Scheme Details
A brief description of the Sabooj Sathi Scheme is listed below:
| Scheme name | Sabooj Sathi Scheme |
| Scheme start year | 2015 |
| Type of Scheme | West Bengal Govt Scheme |
| Responsible department | Department of School Education, West Bengal (in collaboration with Panchayats and Rural Development Departments) |
| The Beneficiary | All students of class IX to XII in the state |
| Purpose | Removing barriers to transportation in education and encouraging learning |
| Methods of support | Free bicycle delivery |
| Official website | wbsaboojsathi.gov.in |
Benefits of Sabooj Sathi Scheme
Following are the benefits of Sabooj Sathi Scheme:
- Removing barriers to transportation in education
- Gain financial savings by reducing transportation costs
- Saving time of students in commuting to school or place of education
- Empowering students directly by providing bicycles
- Enhancing environmental sustainability by promoting bicycle use
- Equality is maintained by providing equal opportunities to all students
- Enhancing students’ physical activity and skills
Eligibility Criteria for Sabooj Sathi Scheme
The following qualifications are required for the Sabooj Sathi scheme:
- The student should be a permanent resident of West Bengal.
- The age of the student should be between 13 to 18 years.
- The student must be studying in class IX to XII.
- The student must study in a government-run or government-aided school or madrasa.
Documents required for Sabooj Sathi Scheme
The following documents are required to apply for the Sabooj Sathi Scheme:
- Aadhaar Card
- Identity proof
- Student ID
- Residence certificate or address proof
- Passport size photograph
Sabooj Sathi Scheme Application
Students do not need to apply for the Sabooj Sathi scheme. The application process is entirely the responsibility of the educational institution. Students need to submit only their own required documents to their respective educational institutions. Online application form will be submitted by the students from the educational institution.
Sabooj Sathi Scheme Status Check
Students can easily check the status of their own or all the beneficiary students of the class or school through the online portal.
Follow the following steps to check the status of the Sabooj Sathi Scheme:
- You need to visit the official portal wbsaboojsathi.gov.in.
- Scroll down the home page to the ‘Quick Links’ section.
- Then click on the first link ‘Bicycle Distribution‘.
- Then you will reach a new page called ‘Search Beneficiary’, where you have to mention the district, block, school, stage and class and click on ‘Search A Beneficiary’.
- Only then you will see the complete list of beneficiaries where the student’s ID, name, parent’s name, gender, class and when the student received the cycle will be mentioned.
- Clicking on ‘View’ from ‘Student Details’ in the list will show some more details like student’s date of birth, roll number, which brand of cycle he got, cycle frame number etc.
Sabooj Sathi Login
Sabooj Sathi scheme is managed through online portal so login page of this portal is very important.
The login page is designed in such a way that login can be done only in the below mentioned cases.
- State level only ‘Chief Secretary’ and ‘State Scheme Management Unit’
- ‘District Scheme Management Unit’ in case of district level
- Block/Sub-Division Development Officer (BDO/SDO) in case of block level
- Sub Inspector (SI) of Schools in case of circle level
- Head of Institution (HOI) in case of educational institutions
Student Login
Sabooj Sathi portal also has login facility for students. In that case they have to follow the following steps to login:
- First visit the official portal wbsaboojsathi.gov.in.
- Click on ‘Student’s Corner‘ in the ‘Quick Links’ section at the bottom of the home page.
- On the next page, enter the student’s application ID and date of birth and fill the captcha and click on ‘Login’.
Sabooj Sathi Scheme Helpline No
In case of any query or problem related to Sabooj Sathi scheme, students can contact the helpline number provided by the authority.
Helpline Number: +91 9123917773 (Mon to Fri 11am to 6pm)
Email: saboojsathi-wb@gov.in
But if you want to directly contact the nodal officer of your district, then on the ‘Contact Us’ page of the portal you will find the name, email and phone number of the nodal officers of all the districts of the state.
Sabooj Sathi Scheme related Queries (FAQs):
What is the Sabooj Sathi Scheme?
The Sabooj Sathi scheme is an initiative of the Government of West Bengal. In this scheme, with a view to encourage students to pursue higher education and to facilitate transportation to education and reduce school drop-out rates, bicycles are distributed to students of classes IX to XII in all government and government-aided schools.
When did the Sabooj Sathi Scheme start?
This Scheme was first started in October 2015 with distribution from Paschim Medinipur.
Can a student who already owns a bicycle apply for the Sabooj Sathi Scheme?
No, those who already own a bicycle are not eligible for the Sabooj Sathi scheme
