Bihar’s Cycle Scheme Empowered a Generation of Women

In the late 2000s, pictures of young girls in blue school uniforms riding
bicycles through the villages of Bihar became a powerful symbol of change.
These images showed the success of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s bicycle scheme
which gave free cycles to schoolgirls so they could travel safely to school.
For many girls, this simple bicycle meant much more than just
transport — it gave them freedom, confidence, and a chance to study without
depending on others. The sight of girls cycling proudly through dusty village
roads changed how people looked at women’s education and independence in Bihar.
This scheme helped Nitish Kumar build a strong base of women voters who trusted
him to support their progress. Even today, almost twenty years later, that bond
remains strong.
As Bihar heads into another important election, The Indian Express revisited
some of the first girls who received those bicycles. Many of them are now grown
women — teachers, nurses, homemakers, or small business owners — who still
remember how that one cycle opened the road to new dreams.
They talk about how life has changed, what challenges remain, and how far
Bihar’s women have come since those first rides that started a quiet revolution.