All meritorious girl students in Uttar Pradesh are set to get free two-wheelers maximum by January-end under the state government’s ambitious Rani Lakshmi Bai Scooty Scheme.
The higher education department has floated a tender on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal for procurement of 40,000 scooties at an estimated cost of ₹320 crore. The selected company will have to supply all the two-wheelers within 100 days, with the government aiming to complete the purchase process by September end, officials of higher education directorate shared.
An online pre-bid meeting with prospective vendors has been scheduled for September 21. The last date for submitting bids is September 26, while the bids will be opened on September 27.
The scooties will be delivered at all 75 districts/divisional headquarters across the state. The number of two-wheelers to be sent to each location will be specified at the time of issuing the purchase order. Meanwhile, the department will prepare the list of eligible beneficiaries.
Officials have also kept a provision to increase or decrease the number of scooties by up to 25% to accommodate changes in the number of beneficiaries. The provision allows the quantity to be increased or reduced by more than 25% if required.
Confirming the move, higher education director Monika Singh said the online meeting with scooty vendors would be held on September 21. The scheme was one of the key promises made by the BJP during the 2022 assembly elections.
The scooties will have to meet several mandatory specifications. Each of them will be supplied with an IS 4151:2015-standard helmet and four litres of petrol.
{{/usCountry}}The scooties will have to meet several mandatory specifications. Each of them will be supplied with an IS 4151:2015-standard helmet and four litres of petrol.
{{/usCountry}}The tender also makes accessories such as a guard kit, grip cover, kick rubber and seat cover mandatory. The two-wheelers will be BS-VI compliant, automatic and fitted with tubeless tyres.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had referred to the scheme during International Women’s Day celebrations on March 8, emphasising early distribution of scooties to meritorious girl students.
The state government had earmarked ₹400 crore for the scheme in its Budget presented on February 20, 2025. To finalise the eligibility criteria, selection process and technical specifications of the scooties, two separate committees were constituted on March 11, 2025. However, the scheme could not make significant progress last year.
The distribution of 50,000 free scooties to eligible female undergraduate students is officially scheduled to begin in October–November. The CM confirmed the timeline ahead of Raksha Bandhan as a major initiative to promote women’s empowerment and ease access to higher education.
Meritorious girl students, who graduated during the 2025–26 academic session from state, private, or affiliated government/aided colleges across UP, will be eligible provided they are among the top 5% of female graduates from each university or college merit list.