Lucknow, Aug 10 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Raksha Bandhan free bus scheme for women has set a new passenger record this year, with the number of beneficiaries nearing 75 lakh on Sunday, an official said.

According to Parivahan Nigam, up to 70 per cent of the total passengers are expected to be availing the government’s free travel initiative that was valid for three days from August 8.

The Yogi government had offered free travel to women and their single co-traveller in the in Parivahan Nigam buses.

Launched in 2017, the free bus travel scheme for women on Raksha Bandhan has, over the past eight years, benefitted 1.23 lakh women.

Parivahan Nigam MD Masoom Ali Sarwar said the buses usually carry 14–15 lakh passengers every day, but in just the first two days of Raksha Bandhan, the numbers surged past 50 lakh.

The 66-hour free travel ‘Samman Ka Tohfa’ offered by CM Adityanath during Raksha Bandhan started at 6 am on August 8 and saw heavy passenger crowds.

On August 8, 19.5 lakh passengers availed the free service, while 31.7 lakh passengers travelled on August 9, suggesting a spike of 210 per cent more passengers than normal.

By 12,50 p.m. on August 10, 13 lakh passengers had already travelled, and by midnight, this number was estimated to reach 25 lakh, he said.

Sarwar also stated that on the Chief Minister’s instructions, from 6 a.m. on August 8 to midnight on August 10, free travel was provided to women in all categories of roadways buses.

During this period, additional buses were operated as needed, and all contractual buses were also brought into service, he said.

At major bus stations like Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Lucknow, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Kanpur, and Etawah, special duty staff were deployed due to the large number of passengers.

He also said that an incentive scheme for drivers and conductors has been implemented, under which Rs 1,200 will be paid for completing 1,800 km of operation, and an additional Rs 0.55 per kilometre will be given for working continuously for six days.

The technical staff present on all three days will also be given a lump sum incentive of Rs 500.

Staff and supervisors who maintain good operational arrangements will be honoured with Rs 5,000 per station.

Lakhs of women in the state who benefited from this facility thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for this gift.

They said this initiative by the Yogi government is not just a passenger facility, but a symbol of women’s empowerment and respect. It has not only enhanced the joy of Raksha Bandhan but also given an assurance of safe, accessible, and respectful travel. Sandhya, traveling from Jhansi bus depot, said that the Yogi government has taken a good step, making women feel very positive.

At Moradabad bus depot, woman passenger Jeetu said that this initiative is benefiting millions of women and expressed heartfelt thanks to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Sisters from the Muslim community also availed this facility along with one co-traveller and thanked the Yogi government.

–IANS

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