Telangana to provide free bus travel to girls, women & trans starting from today

Hyderabad: Amid taking oath as the Telangana Chief Minister, Revanth Reddy's government approved the "Maha Lakshmi scheme" on Thursday, aiming to provide free travel to women, girls and transgenders.

The Transport Department of the Government of Telangana Congress government announced via an official release that the administration has launched the "6-Guarantees-Maha-Lakshmi" scheme.

According to the scheme, the party will provide free bus travel to women in the state while also providing Rs 2,500 to women every month under the 'Mahalakshmi Yojana.'

The scheme was originally announced by the Congress party on September 18, 2023, in its manifesto for Telangana. It will be effective from December 09, 2023.

It aims to provide free travel for girls, women, and transgenders of all age groups in state-run Palle Velugu and express buses operated by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) within the state.

The release mentioned that the government of Telangana will reimburse TSRTC for the chargeable fares that would have been collected based on the distance travelled by women passengers.

Further, the release states that plans are underway to develop a software-based "Maha-Lakshmi" card, providing a seamless and efficient mode of travelling.

The Vice Chairman and Managing Director of TSRTC have been tasked with further necessary actions and issuing a detailed instructions for all the implementations related to the scheme.