look news india
The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh has given a historic gift to the senior citizen women of the state. With an aim to promote women empowerment, social security and welfare of the elderly, a framework has been prepared to implement the facility of free bus travel for women aged 60 years and above in ordinary buses of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC). With this step of the government, lakhs of elderly women of the state will get great financial relief in visiting religious places, visiting relatives, getting treatment or commuting for daily work.
The Uttar Pradesh government, implementing the promise of its public welfare resolution letter, has started implementing this scheme rapidly. Under this decision, senior women from both rural and urban areas will get the right to safe and easy travel in roadways buses without any fare.
Main objective and social impact of UP Free Bus Yatra Scheme
It is often seen that elderly women have to depend financially on family members for small tasks, pilgrimage trips or even going to the hospital. The direct objective of this scheme is to provide self-reliance and dignity to senior women.
The state government believes that this step will increase the mobility of women within the state. Especially elderly women from rural areas will be able to easily travel to nearby towns and district headquarters without any financial burden. Additionally, their access to health services and social interaction will be more accessible than ever before.
In which buses will the facility of free travel be available?
The following categories of buses operated by Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (Roadways) have been included under the guidelines of the scheme:
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UPSRTC Ordinary/General Buses: This facility will be valid in all ordinary roadways buses running within the district and on inter-district routes.
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Intra-State Routes: This free travel facility will be applicable only for government buses operating within the limits of Uttar Pradesh.
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special Notes: Air-conditioned (AC), Janrath, Shatabdi, Volvo and luxury class premium buses have generally been kept out of this free category, so as to maintain proper balance of the Corporation’s revenue and the budget of the scheme.
Eligibility conditions and required standards
The basic conditions set by the government to avail the benefits of the scheme are as follows:
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Age Limit: The minimum age of a female passenger must be 60 years or more.
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Residence Proof: The beneficiary woman must be a permanent resident of Uttar Pradesh.
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Document Verification: Valid proof of age and address will have to be shown when asked by the conductor during the journey.
Documents required to avail the benefits of the scheme
For verification during journey and issuance of free travel pass/ticket, senior women are required to have any one of the following valid identity cards:
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Aadhaar Card – The most important document for verification of date of birth and address.
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Voter ID Card.
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Senior Citizen ID.
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Ration Card or UP Domicile Certificate.
Working of Transport Department and Digital Pass System
Modern digital ticketing systems and Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) are being updated by UPSRTC to implement the scheme in a transparent and streamlined manner. Elderly women will be issued zero-value ticket slips by the conductor, due to which the department will have accurate data of passengers availing the benefits of the scheme.
Apart from this, there are also plans to issue a special ‘Smart Travel Card’ or barcode based pass for senior citizens in the future, which upon scanning will allow immediate travel without any hassle.
Special arrangements for women safety and easy travel
To ensure safe travel of elderly women, safety standards are also being tightened in the buses of the Transport Corporation:
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Availability of panic button and GPS tracking system in buses.
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Reservation of front seats for women and senior citizens.
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Provision of separate helpdesks and accessible toilets for senior citizens at bus stations and depots.
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Special instructions to drivers and conductors to behave courteously and cooperatively with elderly passengers.
This decision of the Uttar Pradesh government is not just a welfare announcement, but a strong and commendable step taken towards showing gratitude and respect to the most respected section of the society.