
Maharashtra students to receive bus passes at schools & colleges, MSRTC ends depot queues with new system; scheme rolls out from 16 June
MUMBAI: Students studying in schools and colleges will receive their state transport bus passes directly at their educational institutions. MSRTC chairman Pratap Sarnaik announced the move on Sunday and said the first term of the new academic session will begin on 16 June.
The government provides a 66.66% concession for students travelling from home to school via state transport, meaning they only need to pay 33.33% of the cost for a monthly pass. Additionally, under the "Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar" scheme, all female students up to grade 12 receive free bus passes.
Previously, students had to queue at bus pass centres or visit depots in groups to collect their passes. Now, they will no longer need to wait in line.
Based on lists provided by their schools and colleges, transport staff will distribute the passes directly at the institutions, ensuring no academic time is lost.
Starting 16 June, a special campaign titled "Bus Pass Directly to Your School" will be launched by the transport administration. Prior to this, depot managers have been instructed to request school and college principals to prepare lists of students enrolled for the new academic year.
This innovative scheme is expected to benefit lakhs of students across the state.
Follow more information on
Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here
. Get
real-time live updates
on rescue operations and check
full list of passengers onboard AI 171
.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
Air India Express Kolkata-Hindon flight delayed due to
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 15 (ANI): Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, on Sunday confirmed that its flight from Kolkata to Uttar Pradesh's Hindon was delayed on Sunday after the aircraft developed a 'snag' An Air India Express spokesperson told ANI, 'Our Kolkata - Hindon flight operated, with a delay, due to a snag on the originally assigned aircraft. Guests were offered complimentary rescheduling or cancellation with a full refund. We regret the inconvenience.' The airline did not specify the nature of the technical problem but ensured the flight operated after necessary arrangements were made. Meanwhile, following a directive from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) mandating enhanced safety checks on Air India's Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet, the airline on Saturday stated that inspections on nine out of its 33 Dreamliner aircraft had been completed. The remaining 24 aircraft are on track to be inspected within the timeline provided by the civil aviation regulator. In a post on X, an Air India spokesperson stated that the safety inspections are being conducted as the 787 fleet returns to India, with each aircraft undergoing thorough evaluations before being cleared for its next operation. The move came following the tragic crash of the London-bound AI171 flight that rammed into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in the Meghani Nagar area in Gujarat's Ahmedabad seconds after it took off from the Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. The DGCA on Friday directed Air India to immediately carry out the additional maintenance actions on its B787-8/9 aircraft equipped with Genx engines in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices. 'Air India is in the process of completing the one-time safety checks directed by the Indian aviation regulator, DGCA. These checks are being carried out on the Boeing 787 fleet as they return to India, before being cleared for their next operations. Air India has completed such checks on nine of the Boeing 787 aircraft and are on track to complete this process for the remaining 24 aircraft within the timeline provided by the regulator,' Air India stated. Acknowledging potential disruptions, Air India warned that some checks might lead to increased turnaround times and possible delays, particularly on long-haul routes to airports with operating curfews. The airline has also offered e-funds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling for those impacted by the disruptions. 'Some of these checks could lead to higher turnaround times and potential delays on certain long-haul routes, especially those to airports with operating curfews. Customers will be duly notified about any customers affected by this disruption, refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling are being offered to those who opt for it,' the airline added. As per the directive, Air India has been asked to conduct a few one-time checks before the departure of flights from India starting Sunday. The tests include inspection of Fuel Parameter Monitoring and associated system checks; inspection of cabin air compressor and associated systems; Electronic Engine Control System Test; Engine Fuel Driven Actuator-Operational Test and oil system check; serviceability check of Hydraulic system; and Review of Take-off parameters. Besides, Air India has been asked to introduce 'Flight Control Inspection' in transit inspection till further notice. Further, power assurance checks must be carried out within two weeks. DGCA has also asked the Tata Group-owned airline to close maintenance actions as soon as possible, based on the review of repetitive snags on B787-8/9 aircraft during the last 15 days. The regulator told Air India that all the reports of these checks are to be submitted to the DGCA for review. (ANI)


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Tirupati- Katpadi passenger and some other MEMU trains won't run on these days
CHENNAI: Southern Railway has announced cancellation and partial cancellation of some MEMU trains due to line and signal blocks in the Arakkonam–Jolarpet section at night on June 16 and 18 to felicitate engineering work. The line will be blocked from 9pm to 12.30am on both these days. Cancellations on June 16 and 18 No 67209 Katpadi – Tirupati MEMU passenger leaving at 9.10pm will be cancelled. No 67210 Tirupati- Katpadi MEMU passenger leaving at 7.10pm will be cancelled. No 66033 Chennai Beach -Tiruvannamalai MEMU passenger leaving at 6pm will be cancelled. Cancellation on June 17 and 19 No 66034Tiruvannamalai–Tambaram MEMU passenger departing at 4.30am will be cancelled. Partial cancellation No 66057 Arakkonam–Katpadi MEMU scheduled at 9 pm on June 16 and 18 will run only up to Sevur. No 66026 Villupuram–Katpadi MEMU leaving at 7.10 pm will be terminated at Vellore. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .

Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
An island with strong ties to Europe counts its dead after Air India crash
DIU ISLAND, India—The only survivor of Air India Flight 171 was born on this tropical island dotted with palm trees and fishing boats. So were 14 passengers who died in the crash, most of them Portuguese or British nationals of Indian origin. They straddled two continents, their lives consisting of long-haul flights between work and family. Like many of the 241 people who perished on the London-bound Boeing 787, they were part of the large Indian diaspora that has spread all across the world. Yet Diu is unique. Unlike much of India, the island off the country's west coast was a Portuguese colony until 1961, a history that gives its residents a leg up if they want to go abroad. Those born under Portuguese rule and their descendants for two generations are entitled to citizenship of the country. Thousands of people have taken that path, local officials said. Most have left the island of around 50,000 people, with some making their way to London or Leicester in the U.K., where a large Indian community lends a helping hand. Viswashkumar Ramesh, the lone survivor of the crash, moved to the U.K. as a child. 'So many have left but come back to visit," said Dipak Deugi, the head of Ramesh's home village. Flights to and from London are a normal part of life, he said. Residents say that the ones who have left still feel the pull of the island. They return every year to attend weddings and bring their children back during school vacations. Many keep a foothold on the island through property or business. The shock of Thursday's crash is ricocheting across its coastal communities. Girish Lalgi, 30, left Diu a decade ago for the U.K. in search of a better job. A Portuguese national, he worked his way up to the position of a supervisor at a snack foods factory in London and married a co-worker who was also from Diu. Over the past decade, at least one-third of Lalgi's village on Diu has moved abroad, a local official said. For the roughly 1,200 people who remain, there are only two careers open: fishing or tourism. A month ago, Girish returned to the island with his wife, Hemakshi, and their two young children, both British citizens. He was there to visit his ailing mother, Vimlaben, so she could meet her one-year-old granddaughter for the first time. Girish called moments after boarding the plane on Thursday. 'Don't worry, I will call again once we land," he told his mother. But she never heard from her son again. All four perished in the crash. Diu was for centuries a colony under the rule of Portugal, which conquered it in the 16th century during its heyday as a maritime superpower. Despite India gaining independence from Britain in 1947, Portugal held on to the island until 1961. A Portuguese flair still pervades. Restaurants serve Portuguese fish stew, colonial-era churches and forts are popular tourist attractions, and brightly-colored Portuguese-style houses are sprinkled throughout the island. Ramesh's father emigrated to the U.K. as a Portuguese citizen two decades ago, finding work as a machine operator at a tissue paper company, family members said. But he held on to his fishing-boat business, toggling back and forth between Leicester and Dui over the years. Ramesh and one of his brothers, Ajay, eventually took over and spent the last seven months in Dui overseeing the business. They ran an auction selling the catch from two fishing boats to seafood exporters. They were on their way back to the U.K. to see their families, said their aunt Shantaben Bawa. Ramesh survived, becoming the miracle from seat 11A. He managed to escape out of an emergency exit before the plane exploded into a massive fireball. His brother Ajay didn't make it. 'No one can understand how we feel," their aunt said. 'They were in and out of here as boys. We saw them growing up." Many like Shantubhai Bhikhabhai Bhaliya have built big houses in Diu that sit empty for most of the year. The 62-year-old, who held Portuguese citizenship, followed in the footsteps of his younger brother by moving to the U.K. eight years ago. He got work loading and unloading transport trucks. It was physically taxing work for a man in his 50s, but it trumped his previous job as a fisherman in Diu, where he sometimes spent weeks at sea, said Maniben Bhaliya, his sister-in-law. Bhaliya planned to retire in Diu, and two years ago he built a two-story house with flowered tiles. They bought a sofa set that is still covered in plastic wrap. He and his 59-year-old wife died in the crash. Despite the tragedy that has sent the island into mourning, many on Diu still dream of going abroad. Neha Lalgi, the sister of Girish, is in the midst of applying for a British work visa. The 35-year-old hopes to settle in London in the same neighborhood where her brother and his family lived. With her brother gone, Neha said the family will struggle to survive. He typically wired about $500 a month back to Dui, enough to support his mother, sister and older brother. 'I have to leave to have work," she said. Write to Shan Li at