Delhi: Free bus rides for women take off, Kejriwal says ‘monumental step’

From Tuesday, which is Bhai Dooj, women in Delhi will not have to pay to travel in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses. The facility will be available in NCR, the airport and on other special services operated by the DTC and cluster scheme operators.

Later in the day, Kejriwal said the scheme might be extended to senior citizens and all students.

“Every step cannot be completed at once. We will definitely do it (make buses free for students and senior citizens). Let us start with women and see the results, and based on the result we will definitely deliberate on making these rides free for senior citizens and students too in the future,” PTI quoted Kejriwal as saying.

Kejriwal said Opposition leaders opposing the scheme need to “rise beyond narrow partisan interests”.

“A few voices from the Opposition are against the move, saying Kejriwal is making everything free. But I believe parties should rise beyond narrow partisan interests. Rajiv Gandhi had famously said that out of every Re 1 spent by the government, 85 paise disappears. I am trying to end that by spending that money in improving schools, hospitals, roads, lanes, sewers. The remaining amount is going towards subsidising water, power, bus fares, education, health. What have I done wrong in that case?”

The CM said such measures should be welcomed. “This should be welcomed, across the board. And I am able to do all this because I am educated, I was an officer and I have seen the system from within. If women make progress, only then the country will be able to make forward strides.”

The Delhi CM said though women are often denied opportunities equal to men, “whenever they do carve out their own spaces, be it in the field of sports or astronomy or business, they excel.”

“Out of Delhi’s total workforce, only 11 per cent is made up of women. Out of all the people taking metro and buses, only 30 per cent are women. At workplaces, women are paid less than men for the same amount of work,” Kejriwal said.

The free bus ridership scheme will not be available for women employees of the Delhi government and local bodies who already get a transport allowance.

From Tuesday, the Delhi transport department will also deploy 13,000 bus marshalls, to ensure the safety of women commuters.

Curated For You

China denies allegation of harassment of Arunachal woman at Shanghai airport

‘Definitely a misfit’: Supreme Court upholds dismissal of Christian Army officer for refusal to enter Sarva Dharma Sthal

‘Demeaning, humiliating’: BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP shoots off scathing letter to party chief Naveen Patnaik