The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has received a budget allocation of ₹4,305 crore. A large portion of this budget is dedicated to the Mahalaxmi Scheme, which allows women and transgender individuals to travel for free on state buses.
Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, while announcing the budget, highlighted the scheme’s success. He mentioned that passengers have made 149.63 crore free trips on 7,227 buses, saving a total of ₹5,005.95 crore in travel costs.
According to the budget documents, ₹3,082.53 crore has been directly allocated to TGSRTC for the Mahalaxmi Scheme. Like last year, funds were gathered from various departments to support this initiative. However, there was no mention of funds for reimbursing different types of bus passes used by passengers.
Despite this, the budget speech pointed out a major improvement in TGSRTC’s performance. The occupancy rate, which was previously 69%, has now increased to 94%, with some routes running at full capacity. This rise in passengers has helped improve the corporation’s financial condition.
Deputy Chief Minister stated that the government is committed to strengthening public transport. He mentioned that 6,400 additional jobs have been created in the RTC, and regular financial support is being provided to ensure the smooth running of the scheme.
However, transport unions have raised concerns about the budget. The Staff and Workers Federation criticized the allocations, saying they do not meet the corporation’s financial needs. They also argued that using funds from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) sub-plans would not be enough to support operations. Additionally, there was no extra funding for student bus passes, which has been a long-standing demand.
As the government continues to invest in the Mahalaxmi Scheme, discussions about the sufficiency and fairness of these budget allocations are ongoing.
