Mahalakshmi scheme provides ₹280 crore free bus trips for women

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Wednesday stated in the the Legislative Council that women had availed 279.97 crore free bus trips under the Mahalakshmi scheme between December 9, 2023 and February 28, 2026.

Responding to a question, Mr. Prabhakar said the government had reimbursed ₹3,866.30 crore to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) in 2024-25 and ₹2,913.82 crore up to February 26. Additional buses were being operated to meet rising demand, particularly during peak hours in rural and urban areas.

Mr. Prabhakar reiterated that the scheme was introduced within 48 hours of the government assuming office. Touching upon occupancy, he stated that it had increased from 69% to 98%. This, he added, had significantly boosted women’s ridership. He criticised attempts to “indirectly oppose” the scheme and said it had enabled women to travel longer distances for employment.

The Minister said the TGSRTC had reduced its dues, including CCS arrears from ₹664 crore to ₹300 crore and provident fund liabilities from ₹1,350 crore to ₹600 crore. He added that 2,708 new buses had been procured, and new routes were introduced.

Touching upon measures taken for the welfare of workers, he said that as many as 1,132 compassionate appointments were made. Accident insurance cover of ₹1 crore was accorded to employees, as well as the development of a super speciality hospital in Tarnaka.

Replying to another question, Mr. Prabhakar said 37 Automatic Testing Stations would be set up across district headquarters, fully under government control, and that the State would join the Vahan platform from March 23 to improve transparency in services.