Nagpur: In a gesture of appreciation and empowerment, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis distributed bicycles to 1,099 ASHA volunteers (Accredited Social Health Activists) of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) as a special Diwali gift. The distribution ceremony took place on Sunday (Oct 19) at the Ishwar Deshmukh College of Physical Education ground in Nagpur.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Fadnavis commended the ASHA workers for their tireless service in delivering healthcare at the grassroots level. He expressed confidence that the bicycles would help them perform their duties faster and more efficiently while boosting their enthusiasm for community service.
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The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Revenue Minister and Nagpur Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Minister for OBC, Dairy Development, and Disabled Welfare Atul Save, Minister of State Adv. Ashish Jaiswal, MP Shyam Kumar Barve, MLAs Dr. Parinay Phule, Ashish Deshmukh, Kripal Tumane, Charan Singh Thakur, Mohan Mate, Sanjay Meshram, Chairman of the Safai Karmachari Commission Sher Singh Dagor, and senior officials such as Principal Secretary of Social Justice Department Dr. Harshdeep Kamble, NMC Commissioner and Administrator Dr. Abhijit Chaudhari, District Collector Dr. Vipin Itankar, and other senior civic officers.
ASHA volunteers are the backbone of NMC’s public health system, handling key responsibilities such as household health data collection, maintaining birth and death records, preparing lists of pregnant women, tracking immunization schedules for children, and organizing Urban Nutrition Days. Until now, travel between households consumed much of their time. The bicycles will help them save time, improve efficiency, and expand their outreach.
The initiative has been funded under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY-DMF) through the Nagpur District Mineral Foundation. The tender process for purchasing the bicycles was completed, and work orders were issued to supply them to 1,099 ASHA volunteers attached to NMC’s urban primary health centers.
As part of the launch, ten ASHA volunteers were symbolically presented bicycles by the Chief Minister on Sunday, while the remaining will receive theirs through medical officers at their respective health centers starting Monday (Oct 20), informed Dr. Deepak Selokar, NMC’s Medical Health Officer.
