Mahalakshmi scheme crosses 200 crore tickets in Telangana
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) is set to reach 200 crore Zero tickets under the free bus scheme launched by the state government. The Mahalakshmi scheme was launched by the Congress government on December 9, 2023 and has accounted for over 199.60 crore tickets as of Monday, July 21.
Under the scheme, women and transgender people are entitled to free bus travel within the state borders in state-run city ordinary, metro express, Palle Velugu and rural express buses.
The free bus scheme has saved Telangana women Rs 6,671.12 crore in the past 18 months, with the government reimbursing the Telangana RTC. According to reports, the number of women travelling in the buses has increased to 30 lakh from 14 lakh during the inception of the scheme, while 8 lakh commuters travel in city buses in Hyderabad alone.
Minister of Transport, Ponnam Prabhakar, congratulated drivers, conductors and other staff for the achievement and added that women are saving up to 4-5 thousand rupees per month through free travel.
The minister also declared that banners should be displayed at 97 depots and 341 bus stations across the state in celebration of the achievement.
Expressing joy, chief minister A Revanth Reddy extended congratulations to TGSRTC workers, staff and management and every woman beneficiary under the scheme.
Celebrations will be held across the state where employees, teachers, school/college students, business women and pilgrims from various sections will share their travel experiences.
Women will be felicitated with shawls and gifts at depots and important bus stations, while essay writing/rangoli/painting competitions will be organised for school and college students on the topics of Mahalaxmi Free Travel Scheme, Women Empowerment, etc, and five winners will be felicitated with prizes like books, water bottles, pen sets, etc.
Additionally, the five best drivers and the five best conductors of each depot, along with traffic guides/security personnel who contributed to the success of the scheme, will also be felicitated.
This post was last modified on July 22, 2025 8:10 pm