Chandigarh:- Around 3.5 lakh women are availing the benefits of the free bus travel scheme in Punjab every day. Beneficiaries travel an average of 42 km daily. Now smart cards will be used instead of Aadhaar cards for free travel. The state transport department is issuing tenders for purchasing hand-held devices to read the smart cards.
The smart cards are likely to be issued in the next two months. All women can avail the benefits of this scheme with their identity cards. The health department, which is responsible for issuing smart cards, is screening the beneficiaries.
The funds for this free travel are released by the social security and women and child development department. However, according to Punjab Roadways and PRTC, the scheme is causing a loss of around Rs 800 crore annually to the state transport companies, while the state government keeps a budget of Rs 450 crore for this. Government officials say that the smart cards will provide real-time data of women availing the benefits of free travel, which is registered with the state government.