Each bus generates rental income of about Rs 70,000 per month, which can become crucial for the economic self-reliance of rural women.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Monday, December 1 announced that 448 Telangana Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) buses will be handed over women’s self help groups to strengthen women’s financial stability.

Telangana transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Women and Child Welfare minister Seethakka jointly announced the plan. They said that the move will not only provide financial empowerment to the women-SHG groups but also make rural women direct participants in the public transport system.

The Telangana government was advancing this programme to ensure sustainable income sources for women under the Indira Mahila Shakti Scheme.

Each bus generates rental income of about Rs 70,000 per month, which can become crucial for the economic self-reliance of rural women.

Given the successful operation of 152 RTC rented buses by SHGs currently, the government had decided to extend the programme. Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy is likely to provide more RTC rented buses to women’s SHGs in the near future.