Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday said the Maha Lakshmi scheme has enabled women in Telangana to save Rs 6,680 crore by availing free RTC bus services.
Speaking at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station at an event marking 200 crore free rides for women, Bhatti said the Congress government launched the scheme immediately after assuming office. The initiative, he said, has raised the daily RTC ridership from 45 lakh to 65 lakh and pushed bus occupancy from 60 percent to 97 percent.
He said RTC had come under criticism in the past over its financial health, but the public transport corporation is now running profitably due to the government’s welfare-driven support. The state has fully reimbursed the Rs 6,680 crore cost incurred for the 200 crore free trips, and Bhatti said the funding would continue.
He credited Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar for driving reforms that improved RTC’s revenues. Since the new government took charge, the state has inducted 2,400 new buses into the fleet, he said.
Addressing concerns over pollution in Hyderabad, Bhatti said diesel buses are being moved out of city routes. He said 11 percent of city buses are now electric, 3,000 more e-buses have been ordered, and an additional 500 are being procured.
He added that the government aims to economically empower one crore women in the state. Besides offering free RTC rides, the state is also facilitating interest-free loans to women’s self-help groups to purchase buses, which are then leased to RTC.
