Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, on the 3rd of June, announced free public transport for women in Delhi.
The decision was taken to ensure the safety of women while traveling in Delhi.
Mr. Kejriwal addressed a press conference and announced free travel for the women residing in Delhi. He said, “On all DTC buses, cluster buses and metro trains, women will be allowed to travel free of cost so that they have safe travel experience and can access modes of transport which they were not able to, due to high prices.”
According to sources, the Delhi Government will implement the scheme within 2 to 3 months. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Government of India (GoI) denied to support the AAP, the Party stated it will bear the expenses alone.
The Delhi Government said, the permission for the scheme will not be an issue as the AAP is taking care of all the expenses.
A yearly amount of Rs. 700 crores is expected to be the budget of the scheme, under which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will provide free travel to women.
The free transport for women is an optional scheme. Women who can afford the tickets can buy them without any subsidy, which will be beneficial for other women.
Mr. Kejriwal said, “Subsidy will not be imposed on anyone. There are several women who can afford these modes of transport. Those who can afford can purchase tickets, they need not take subsidy. We encourage those, who can afford, to buy tickets and not take subsidy so that others could benefit.”
Arvind Kejriwal asked the AAP officials to draft a proposal and send it to the Delhi Metro and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC,) seeking information about the further process regarding the implementation of the scheme.
Though Mr. Kejriwal announced the scheme, an official announcement regarding the same is yet to be made.
Stay tuned for further updates.
