Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday travelled in a DTC bus and interacted with commuters to inspect the implementation of the Saheli Pink Smart Card initiative.Launched by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, the smart card allows women and transgender residents of the national capital to travel free of cost in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses.The card has replaced the pink paper ticket and is expected to enable touch-free travel, maintain digital journey records and improve transparency in revenue accounting.“For the mothers, sisters and daughters of Delhi, this is an extremely convenient arrangement. This card is being made for free at various centres in the city. Just get yourself registered with your Aadhaar number and mobile number, and avail the benefit of free travel on DTC buses,” Gupta said.“I appeal to all women to get the Saheli Pink National Mobility Card (NCMC) card made and make full use of this facility,” she said.During the journey, the chief minister got herself a smart card and interacted with women travelling on the bus.The smart card initiative is aimed at providing seamless access to multiple public transport systems through a single card under the ‘one nation, one card’ initiative.While travel on DTC and cluster buses will be free for those eligible, the card can also be used for paid journeys on other public transport services such as the Delhi Metro and the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS).Each card is linked to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar and mobile number to verify age, gender and Delhi residency. PTI
