Research reveals a rapid increase in students cycling to school in rural India, with girls leading this “silent revolution,” particularly in Bihar and West Bengal. Conducted by IIT Delhi and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, the study highlights that bicycle distribution schemes (BDS) have significantly boosted cycling rates, benefiting rural girls the most.
Srishti Agrawal from IIT-Delhi notes that cycling to school nationwide grew from 6.6% to 11.2% between 2007 and 2017, with rural areas seeing a near doubling of rates. The highest increase was among rural girls, especially in Bihar, where cycling levels surged eight-fold, and in West Bengal, where they tripled. Other states with notable increases include Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
Aditi Seth from Narsee Monjee Institute describes this trend as a “silent revolution,” pointing out the lack of attention and research on the impact of BDS. The study found that states with BDS saw an average cycling increase of 3.6 percentage points, compared to 0.8 points in states without BDS. In urban areas, cycling levels either remained the same or declined, with significant increases in states like Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh for girls, and in Delhi and Chhattisgarh for boys.
Source: PTI
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