Hyderabad: Minister for Transport, Ponnam Prabhakar, shared that women in Telangana have saved a significant amount of money by traveling for free in RTC buses under the Mahalakshmi scheme. The total savings amount to Rs. 2,750 crore.
The Mahalakshmi scheme was launched by the Congress government on December 9, 2023. Since its launch, around 81 crore women have benefited from the scheme over a period of 259 days, leading to the substantial savings mentioned.
On Saturday, the Pragathi Chakra awards ceremony was held at RTC Kala Bhavan in Bagh Lingampalli. Minister Ponnam Prabhakar attended the event as the chief guest. During the ceremony, he presented awards, trophies, certificates, medals, badges, and cash rewards to outstanding RTC employees.
Speaking at the event, Ponnam Prabhakar highlighted the increased passenger numbers due to the Mahalakshmi scheme. To accommodate this rise, the Corporation is purchasing new buses. Additionally, permission has been granted for the replacement of 3,035 posts, and the recruitment process is currently underway. The Minister also mentioned that with many employees set to retire in the next five years, the Corporation has recommended filling more posts and has sent proposals to the State government for further recruitment.
Ponnam Prabhakar also addressed the challenges faced by RTC employees. He assured that the State government is aware of their hardships and will soon take steps to resolve their issues. He revealed that the pending amount of Rs 200 crore from RPS bonds will be released to the employees shortly.
