Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, inaugurated the Saksham Cyclothon event at Indore in the presence of Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, President, Indore Cycling Association, Shri Ramesh Mendola, local MLA and other dignitaries here .
This largest cycling event witnessed in the country was held at Sayaji Square, Indore, to create mass awareness on fuel conservation and popularise cycling as an environment-friendly alternative means of transport, in order to make the country greener, people healthier and economise fuel. The highlight of the event was the participation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Shri Kailash Vijayvargia, Shri Ramesh Mendola and other dignitaries in the 13-km green ride.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, in his address, touched upon the benefits of cycling. He said that cycling improves one’s health and also helps the nation in fuel conservation. He praised the people of Indore for participating in large numbers in this endeavour, responding to the call of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi towards conserving fuel. He added that a milestone has been set in Indore by creating the largest cycling event till date.
Shri Vijayvargiya praised the initiative by PCRA and the Oil Industry and said that such rallies will help spread the message of conservation of petroleum products, besides being beneficial for the environment.
The world over, efforts are on to reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels. In India too, different options are being explored. Cycling is now seen as one of the most cost-effective options that will not only reduce our dependence on fuel, thereby reducing carbon footprint, but also provide us with the regimen needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Keeping this in mind, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) in association with IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, Oil India, NRL, GAIL, ONGC-MRPL and CPCL, has planned 76 such events across the country to encourage people into taking cycling as a mass movement.
The Indore event, in which around 30,000 cyclists participated, was organised by PCRA and all the above mentioned public sector oil and gas companies, ably supported by Indore Cycling Association. The event comprised the following five categories and originated from three places in the city:
Elite Cycle Race for Men – 94 km.
Elite Cycle Race for Women – 60 km
Amateur Cycle Race for Men – 43 km
Amateur Cycle Race for Women – 26 km
Green Ride – 13 km
The most popular category – the Green Ride, an untimed event of 13 km – was an initiative to instil socio-environmental consciousness amongst the people of Indore.
Cash prizes totalling Rs.12 lakh were awarded across various categories. In addition, 200 cycles were distributed to participants through a lucky draw.
Popular Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans regaled the cyclists with rendering of foot-tapping numbers, which created a mass euphoria among the people
The entire event translated to a fun filled cycling experience on building a community that is aware about its fuel conservation responsibilities.
(Suresh Iyer)
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