Patna (Bihar): Congress' National General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi expressed her deep condolences to 'Cycle Girl' Jyoti Kumari, who lost her father due to heart attack recently. Jyoti had hit headlines last year after she cycled 1,200 kilometres carrying her incapacitated father on the pillion seat, from Gurugram to Darbhanga, in a span of six days.
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The Congress leader assured all possible help to Jyoti's family, including the entire cost of her education. As Jyoti expressed her wish to meet Gandhi in person, the latter responded positively. Congress leader Mashkoor Ahmed Usmani, who visited Jyoti's residence, handed over a condolence letter personally written by Gandhi.
Jyoti's father Mohan Paswan used to run an e-rickshaw in Gurugram prior to the first wave of Covid-19 lockdown. As the migrant labourers were hit hard due to the lockdown, Jyoti and Paswan cycled all the way back home to Bihar's Darbhanga. He passed away on May 31, 2021, after suffering a heart attack.
Jyoti was awarded the Prime Minister's Child Award
Jyoti was also awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar- 2021 for bravery. In a virtual meeting held at the time of the award distribution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Jyoti's courageous act. The Bihar government, too, announced Jyoti as the brand ambassador of a drug de-addiction campaign.
