Months ahead of the Assembly elections in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Monday announced free travel for women in the national capital on all modes of public transport, including DTC buses and the Delhi Metro, a move that appears aimed at wooing the women electorate.
The big announcement comes days after the Aam Aadmi Party was dealt a blow in the Lok Sabha elections. While the party failed to win a single seat, it ended up in third position in five out of the seven parliamentary seats, behind the BJP and the Congress.
“Women in Delhi will now be able to avail travel on Delhi Metro and DTC buses free of cost. The scheme will be rolled out in the next two to three months,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced at a press conference.
He said the Delhi government will bear the entire expenditure of this scheme, which is expected to cost the AAP-run government Rs 700 crore this year.
“I have given one week's time to officials to make a detailed proposal for both DTC and Delhi Metro on how and when we can implement free travel for women. We are trying to start this within two to three months. We are also seeking suggestions from people on how to implement the scheme,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said the move will help prevent pollution as more people will adopt the public modes of transport and it will also ensure safety of women as the Delhi government has already provided marshals and set up CCTVs in public transport.
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On the question of the need to subsidise travel for women who can afford the fare, Kejriwal said the subsidy will not be imposed on any woman. “Those who want to buy tickets are free to do so. They need not avail the subsidy. Several women can afford these modes of transport. Those who can afford it can buy tickets and forgo the subsidy, so that others can benefit,” he said.
Kejriwal said the scheme is possible only because of the transparency in the AAP government's functioning and the lack of corruption. “Ours is the only government that is honest and is spending the people's money for facilities meant to make life more convenient for them. And we are still not in deficit,” he said.
