Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday distributed e-scooters and motorised vehicles to more than 7,400 meritorious students of government higher secondary schools across the state, marking a significant scale-up of a scheme aimed at supporting academically strong students from government school backgrounds.
The state-level programme was held at the Government Subhash Excellence Higher Secondary School in Shivaji Nagar, Bhopal, where Yadav symbolically handed over scooter keys to 11 students in person, representing the broader cohort of beneficiaries across the state.
Beyond the symbolic key handovers at the event, the funds for the vehicles were also transferred directly into the bank accounts of eligible students, ensuring that the scheme's benefits reached the full cohort of over 7,400 students regardless of whether they were physically present at the Bhopal ceremony.
A Message on Road Safety
Interacting with the beneficiaries, Yadav asked them about their plans and aspirations, and advised them to follow traffic rules while riding their new scooters. "Scooty chalate samay sabhi bachche yatayat niyamon ka palan karein," Yadav said, according to the statement issued after the programme, using the occasion to combine celebration of the students' academic achievements with a practical safety message.
Meeting the Students Behind the Numbers
During the interaction, MP topper Khushi Rai told the Chief Minister that she was preparing for the Chartered Accountancy course while pursuing B.Com, and that the scooter would help her commute to college, offering a concrete example of how the scheme's mobility support translates into practical benefit for students pursuing demanding academic and professional pathways.
A Range of Backgrounds and Ambitions
Yadav also interacted with other students, including Akash Sahu, who comes from a farming family and plans to launch an agriculture startup, reflecting how the scheme's beneficiaries span a wide range of family backgrounds and career ambitions rather than being concentrated in any single field.
Diverse Career Aspirations Among Beneficiaries
Students Ravi Kevat and Mariyam Khan, who received scooty keys directly from CM Yadav, expressed a desire to become Chartered Accountants, while Mini Jain shared her ambition to become a neurosurgeon after clearing NEET. Another student, Rani Sanpale, said she wants to pursue higher education and become a lawyer, while Khushi Yadav plans to pursue MBBS. Shiv Kumar Kaul, another meritorious student, said he wants to pursue software engineering and contribute to the broader goal of a developed India, collectively illustrating the breadth of professional aspirations among this year's beneficiaries, spanning medicine, law, finance, technology and entrepreneurship.
Revised Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for the scheme have been changed from 2026. Students are now required to secure at least 70 per cent marks in Class 12 and also stand first in their respective schools, a tightening of the earlier criteria that likely reflects an effort to more sharply target the scheme's benefits toward the very top-performing students within each school.
A Message of Continued Government Support
CM Yadav congratulated the students and encouraged them to continue working toward their educational and career goals, saying, "The government is committed to encouraging meritorious students and facilitating their journey towards higher education," framing the scheme as part of a broader, ongoing state commitment to supporting academic achievement rather than a one-time gesture.
The Scheme's Broader Purpose
The scheme is aimed at encouraging academic excellence among students of government schools and helping them with mobility during their higher education, addressing a practical barrier, transportation to and from college, that can otherwise limit access to higher education for students from less affluent backgrounds, even when they have demonstrated strong academic performance.
Scale of the Scheme So Far
More than 23,000 students have benefited from the scheme so far, according to the state government, a cumulative figure that places this year's distribution of over 7,400 e-scooters within the context of a programme that has steadily grown in scale since its inception, reflecting the state's continued investment in supporting meritorious students from government school backgrounds.
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