President Droupadi Murmu on Monday launched the Pink National Common Mobility Card and three other women-centric welfare schemes of the Delhi government, which has set up around 50 centres across the city to facilitate the issuance of the ‘Pink Saheli’ cards. The distribution process will commence from Tuesday.
Addressing a gathering at the ‘Sashakt Nari, Samriddh Delhi’ programme, Murmu said initiatives like free bus travel and integrated transport access would strengthen women’s independence and safety. At the event held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the President also launched a scheme providing two free LPG cylinders annually to ration card-holding families on Holi and Diwali. The Rs 129-crore benefit will be transferred directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer, the statement read. She further launched the Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana and the ‘Meri Poonji, Mera Adhikar’ initiative.
Murmu said empowered women, with freedom to make decisions, can change the direction of society and the nation. Stressing on collective responsibility, the President said women’s empowerment is not just the government’s duty; the society must also play its role. The schemes launched on Monday will empower women to realise the vision of a prosperous Delhi, she added.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the launch of the schemes is an integrated framework towards women’s safety and independence. “Our women-centric government, through these four schemes, provides safety, starting from the birth of a girl child, investment in their education, transportation independence and relief in the kitchen,” Gupta said.
About the scheme, the chief minister said, “In the previous government’s scheme for free travel for women in buses, there were many leakages, scope of corruption. Our Saheli Pink Smart Card is not just a travel card but a ‘dignity card’ for women of Delhi. Women’s empowerment is not just a policy but a national resolution now. They should also be part of the workforce.”
Pertinently, the Pink National Common Mobility card will provide women and transgender individuals free bus travel and seamless access to multiple public transport systems through a single smart card, in line with the ‘one nation, one card’ initiative.
Each pink card will be linked to the beneficiary’s mobile number and Aadhaar to verify age, gender and Delhi residency. The pink card will allow eligible women residents of Delhi to travel free of cost on DTC buses and cluster buses, and it can also be used for paid travel on other public transport services, including the Delhi Metro and the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), enabling commuters to use one card across systems.
The pink card will replace the existing paper-based pink ticket, offering touch-free travel, digital journey records and improved transparency in revenue, accounting to make public transport more accessible, technology-driven and safer, while reducing the daily commuting expenses of women.
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