Congress government in Telangana implements two guarantees from today

The newly formed Congress government in Telangana is set to initiate the implementation of two out of six guarantees outlined in their election manifesto. This will commence on the occasion of Sonia Gandhi’s birthday on December 9th. The two guarantees are as follows: free bus transport for women in state-run RTC buses and an increase in the insurance amount from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh under the Rajiv Arogyasri health scheme.

Guidelines for Free Bus Travel

During a media briefing, Ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar announced that two of the six guarantees would be implemented starting December 9th. While no specific conditions for free bus travel were disclosed, it was mentioned that women must present their Aadhar card to avail of this benefit. As a result, it gives the impression that the scheme is exclusively for women in Telangana. This has been confirmed by the recent Government Order (GO) issued by the authorities.

• The scheme is applicable to local residents, including girls, women, and transgender individuals of all age groups.
• Travel is permitted anywhere within the state using Palle Velugu and Express buses.
• While travel is allowed in Inter-State express buses, it is free only up to the Telangana state border.
• The government of Telangana will reimburse the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) for the concessions they have provided.

Free bus travel for Women from December 9

Free bus transport facility for women in the state, Rajiv Arogyashri's decision to increase up to Rs.10 lakh will be implemented from Sonia Gandhi's birthday.
— Telangana Minister, Sridhar Babupic.twitter.com/gXeC97pUiF

— Ravinder Kapur. (@RavinderKapur2) December 8, 2023

Implementation of Free Bus Service in Karnataka

In Karnataka, the Congress government has initiated a scheme exclusively for women, providing them with free rides in ordinary and express RTC services. Notably, half of the seats in these buses are reserved for men. During the initial three months, women utilized the service by presenting their identity proofs, after which the government issued them Shakti smart cards.

#TelanganaCongress
🚍Free travel in RTC buses in Express and Palle Velugu within state – orders issued by Telangana govt

🚍All girls and women of all age groups and Transgender persons of Telangana can travel for free #RevanthReddy #TelanganaCM#Telangana pic.twitter.com/i7iCSkrIG8

— South One (@SouthOneNews) December 8, 2023

According to the guidelines set by the Karnataka government, only women who are residents of Karnataka are eligible to avail themselves of this free bus travel scheme. The scheme also includes girl students and linguistic minorities. However, the free bus facility is not applicable to Rajahamsa, Airavat, Airavat club, Airavat gold, non-AC sleeper, Ambaari dream class, Ambaari utsav, Vajra, and similar services. Women are not allowed to use the free ride service on buses running between destinations outside Karnataka. Currently, zero tickets are being issued to women in Karnataka buses, and the government reimburses the amount to KSRTC. According to data from the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the daily number of women traveling in RTC has surged from 27 lakh in May 2023 to nearly 40 lakh in June 2023.

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Arogyasri insurance up to Rs.10 lakh

The previous BRS government provided Arogya Sri insurance up to Rs. 5 lakh, and the new Congress government has increased it to Rs. 10 lakh. This scheme is available to all Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the state, covering 1672 surgeries and therapies.