CONTEXT:

• Delhi government has announced its plan to subsidize travel in public transport for women commuters in the Capital. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Aim:

• The government intends to allow women to travel for free on metro trains and State-run buses by the month of August-September.
• The new scheme, which is to be implemented, is to encourage the use of public transport, make it safer and to promote the participation of more women in the city’s workforce currently dominated by their male counterparts.

Beneficiaries:

• As many as 8 lakh women constituted the estimated daily commuter force of 25 lakh passengers on the Delhi Metro and around one lakh more were expected to be added. This step will perhaps add an extra one lakh women passengers to the existing daily ridership. It will also increase the participation of women in the city’s workforce.

Cost Estimation:

• This scheme is a subsidy that the Delhi government will be providing on its own and it requires no clearance from the Centre. The scheme would cost around Rs.700 to Rs.800 crore.