NAGPUR: All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Gadchiroli on December 14 to distribute e-cycles to about 10,000 tribal girls. It would be her first visit to the Maoist-hit district.
The programme will be held at Zilla Parishad ground from 10.30am ro 11.30am. Gandhi would be flying directly from Lucknow to Nagpur and then by helicopter to the district.
Costing about Rs15,000 each, the e-cycles are battery operated machines which can run for 5kms on one charge. These could be recharged by pedaling or through electric connection.
Interacting with the media at Gadchiroli on Tuesday, Maharashtra relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that Priyanka would be coming on the invitation of his daughter Shivani, Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress general secretary, and the entire concept of distributing the bicycles to poor tribal girls was hers.
“The battery-powered bicycles will be distributed to school and college girls in remote areas of the district. It was Shivani’s suggestion to donate these only to girls due to lack of public and other transportation facilities in the district. I would have distributed those in Chandrapur, but she insisted on Gadchiroli stating that the former is already an industrial city,” the minister, who was accompanied by his daughter, said.
About 5,000 e-cycles would also be distributed in Bramhapuri, which is Wadettiwar’s constituency. Many companies have donated funds under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) for purchasing the products.
“Priyanka is an icon for women across India and she always promotes their empowerment as well as girls’ education. Shivani emailed her about her concept, which she liked and readily accepted her invitation. Despite her busy schedule ahead of next year’s Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, where she is in-charge of the Congress, she granted her consent to visit Gadchiroli. The detailed programme is yet to be finalized,” Wadettiwar said.
On account of Gandhi’s first visit, the local unit of the party has planned big celebrations across the district, where she would interact with activists and elected members. “She would not be coming to Bramhapuri bdue to her busy schedule. The entire country is looking at her with a hope just like they used to do during the tenure of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,” the minister said.
