PRAYAGRAJ, May 15 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has accelerated preparations for its ambitious plan to distribute free electric scooters to meritorious girl students in higher educational institutions ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Under the Rani Lakshmibai Scooter Scheme, one of the BJP's key promises during the 2022 Assembly polls, the state government aims to encourage meritorious girls to pursue higher education. Officials from the state's secondary and higher education departments confirmed that the process of identifying eligible beneficiaries has already begun. In a significant move aimed at reducing fuel costs and promoting environmental sustainability, the government decided to provide electric scooters under the scheme. Each scooter is expected to cost around Rs.55,000, officials said. The Rs.400-crore budget allocation is sufficient to procure nearly 72,700 scooters, according to official estimates. However, considering funds will also be used for distribution events and administrative arrangements, the initiative is likely to benefit over 70,000 girl students. The final number of beneficiaries is yet to be decided. Officials from the higher education department have already presented the plan to chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and the distribution process is expected to be completed within the next six months. The chief minister had previously mentioned the scheme during International Women's Day celebrations on March 8, where he emphasised the early distribution of scooters to meritorious girl students. The state government had earmarked Rs.400 crore for the scheme in the Budget presented on February 20, 2025. Two separate committees were constituted on March 11, 2025, to finalise the eligibility criteria, selection process, and technical specifications of the scooters. Despite this, the scheme failed to make significant progress last year. A senior official confirmed that the directorate of education has sought lists from state universities and other higher educational institutions of girl students who passed the final year of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the previous academic year. Officials said the distribution process will ensure representation across categories. Similar to reservation provisions in government jobs, beneficiaries will include students from Unreserved, OBC, SC, ST, EWS and differently-abled categories. Officials maintain that the move will particularly benefit students from rural areas, where girls often travel long distances to attend colleges and face daily commuting challenges. The availability of scooters is expected to not only ease transportation and save time but also enable students to pursue skill-based education and training opportunities alongside their studies....