Cabinet green flags setting up of cycle manufacturing plant in state

Kolkata: The cabinet on Thursday has given its approval to the expression of interest (EoI) for setting up cycle manufacturing plants in the state.

It needs a mention that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had directed to take steps to set up bicycle manufacturing industries in the state as it has been assured that 50 per cent of the bicycles that would be manufactured in the units would be bought by the state government for distribution among school goers under Sabuj Sathi scheme.

This comes when the state government has distributed around 1 crore bicycles free of cost to students of class IX to XII in state-run, government aided schools and madrashas under Sabuj Sathi scheme.

The state government is also going to distribute another 20 lakh bicycles among students studying in such schools and madrashas in 2021.

The state government has also assured of allotting land with all necessary infrastructure at industrial parks to set up the factories besides ensuring financial incentives including waiver of land conversion fees, 100 percent exemption of stamp duty and registration fees, waiver of electricity duty for five years from the date of commencement of production in the factory. Uninterrupted supply of water and power would also be provided.

So far the state government has distributed bicycles worth around Rs 2700 crores. Sabuj Sathi was declared "winner" by the World Summit of Information Society in 2020.