LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday inaugurated the Punjab government’s electric bike (E-Bike) programme, especially for girl students, by handing over the key of a motorcycle to a college student of Jampur, besides announcing a Rs25 billion scholarship scheme for students, along with early launch of a laptop initiative.

The chief minister also gave the first e-loader rickshaw manufacturing licence to Nawawa Mobilizers Company.

Announcing phase-II of the e-bike project, she said solarized charging stations would be installed in the colleges and universities to facilitate students, adding that the bikes would also be given to the students who remained deprived of the affection of their parents.

Speaking on the occasion, she asked other provinces to follow suit.

“Today, the E-Bike Project has been launched and we will further increase its [beneficiaries] number in the next phase. The Punjab government will pay Rs20,000 out of Rs40,000 down payment of [each] e-bike.”

She said the government had received more than 100,000 applications for the scheme, of which 27,200 students would be given e-bikes.

The CM said all districts had equal representation in this scheme and there was no quota of women in any scheme of the Punjab government. “We received applications of 8,000 female students and we are giving bikes to all of them. Our daughters should learn to drive bike for their empowerment,” the CM said.

Ms Nawaz said the government would also give laptops to the students in coming days. “For the students who can’t afford to acquire higher education, we are introducing a scholarship programme worth Rs25 billion. No child will sit at home for failing to pay fee. For the children whose parents are not alive, we have abolished the guarantee condition.”

The CM announced the government would establish solarized e-bike charging stations across Punjab, while the bike recipients’ would also get battery insurance cover in case of theft or fire eruption.

She said not a single bike under the scheme had been given on any recommendation, adding that e-balloting had been conducted for their distribution.

She said under an MoU signed with a bus company, the Punjab government would get 27 environment-friendly buses by December.

Meanwhile, Ms Nawaz met with PTCL Group President and CEO Hatem Bamatraf and Group Chief Regulatory Officer Naveed Khalid Butt and discussed cooperation for digitization and digital communication in Punjab.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2024