{
  "id": 10693132,
  "title": "Bengal government rebrands Sabuj Sathi as Sarathi scheme, 12.59 lakh students to get cycles under it: CM",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/bengal-government-rebrands-sabuj-sathi-as-sarathi-scheme-12-59-lakh",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T13:03:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal/bengal-government-rebrands-sabuj-sathi-as-sarathi-scheme-1259-lakh-students-to-get-cycles-under-it-cm/article71524013.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on September 29, 2026 that the government will distribute bicycles to 12.59 lakh students under the rebranded Sarathi scheme this academic year. Speaking at a cycle distribution event in Howrah, Adhikari criticized the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for procuring substandard bicycles under the Sabuj Sathi scheme. The BJP government has renamed the previous scheme as Sarathi. The Chief Minister revealed that the Sarathi scheme will allocate ₹300 crore for schools, and accused the TMC government of providing scholarships to a specific community, which he claims was part of appeasement politics. Adhikari assured that all communities, including Sanatani Hindus and students of other faiths, will receive scholarships under the new scheme. He also stated that the government will not provide ₹10,000 for smartphones and tablets to higher secondary students, instead opting to provide a higher amount for learning materials. Adhikari accused the Left and TMC governments of closing NCC programs in schools and claimed to have spoken with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh about the matter. NCC units will be reinstated in educational institutions to improve students' physical fitness and promote national safety. The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of nationalism and recalled the contribution of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who played a significant role in the formation of present-day West Bengal.",
  "summary": "Suvendu Adhikari alleges the previous TMC government used to procure \"substandard\" bicycles and hand them over to students under its Sabuj Sathi scheme",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}