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Andhra govt to launch free bus travel for women from Aug 15: Minister
The scheme, titled 'Stree Shakti' (Women's Power), is expected to cost Rs 1,942 crore annuallyapproximately Rs 162 crore per monthand aims to empower women by improving access to education, employment, and mobility.
"I'm happy to share that free bus travel for women will commence on August 15," said the State Information and Public Relations Minister, adding that the initiative is aimed at empowering women and enhancing their access to opportunities in education, employment, and other sectors.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Parthasarathy dismissed reports suggesting the scheme would be limited to select districts.
"There were reports that the scheme would be restricted to certain areas, but it has been decided to implement it statewide," Parthasarathy said.
Of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation's (APSRTC) total fleet of 11,449 buses, 8,456nearly 75 per centwill operate under the 'Stree Shakti' scheme.
Bus services such as Palle Velugu, Ultra Palle Velugu, City Ordinary, Metro Express, and Express will offer free travel to women. The initiative is expected to benefit up to 1.4 crore women annually, with each family potentially saving up to Rs 1,000 per month, Parthasarathy said.
The Cabinet also approved several other key proposals, including the Andhra Pradesh Land Incentive for Tech Hub (LIFT) Policy 4.0 (20242029).
Parthasarathy said the policy was introduced in the wake of Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation and loss of Hyderabad to encourage economic development using existing infrastructure and talent. Under the policy, eligible entities will be allotted land at Rs 0.99 per acre across the state.
In the power sector, the Cabinet cleared a government guarantee of Rs 900 crore to the State Bank of India (SBI) and Union Bank of India (UBI) to prevent negative reporting to statutory bodies such as Credit Information Bureau India Limited (CIBIL) and Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL) regarding the Andhra Pradesh Power Development Company Ltd (APPDCL).
Delays in payments from DISCOMs to APPDCL were cited as the primary reason for the financial strain.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved a proposal by the Energy Department to increase the free electricity quota for hair-cutting salons from 150 units to 200 units per month to support the social and economic upliftment of the Nayi Brahmin community.
Further, government guarantees amounting to Rs 3,544 crore and Rs 1,029 crore were approved for Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd (APSPDCL) and Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Ltd (APCPDCL), respectively.
These are in lieu of counterpart and interim fund loans sanctioned by PFC Ltd for the successful implementation of the revamped distribution sector scheme (RDSS), with a two per cent guarantee commission.
The Cabinet also extended the ban on the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its front organisations under the Andhra Pradesh Public Security Act, 1992, for another year. These include the Radical Youth League (RYL), Rythu Coolie Sangham (RCS), Grameen Peedala Sangham, Radical Students Union (RSU), Singareni Karmika Samakhya (SIKASA), Viplava Karmika Samakhya (VIKASA), All India Revolutionary Students Federation (AIRSF), and Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF).
Among other decisions, the Cabinet sanctioned five assistant public prosecutor posts for Puttaparthi, Movva, Gannavaram, Gajuwaka, and Tirupati, and approved a proposal allowing the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) to raise a Rs 7,500-crore loan for industrial development.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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