Women can travel free of cost in the state-run buses this Raksha Bandhan as the Transport department issued orders in this regard here on Wednesday.
A government spokesman said that women and girls could avail the free traveling facilities in the state-run buses from the midnight of August 21 to the midnight of August 22.
He said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had linked free bus service with Mission Shakti.
The third phase of Mission Shakti is starting from August 21, a day before Raksha Bandhan.
Last year, around 3.5 lakh women availed this facility.
Apart from free travel in the bus, the state government is also preparing to give some other gifts to women this Raksha Bandhan, including posting policewomen as beat police officers. The government is also preparing to give gifts like construction of pink toilets, recruitment of women cops on vacant posts in about 1,300 police stations of the state, sources said.
Apart from this, 1.5 lakh girls deprived of Kanya Sumangala Yojana and 1.73 lakh new beneficiary women of the destitute women's pension scheme will be linked to the third phase of Mission Shakti, the main function of which will be organised in Lucknow.
Under Mission Shakti, the government will award Rs 5,000 each to the meritorious girl students who come in top 10 positions in the districts in class 10 and 12. The government is preparing to give Rs 20,000 to the topper girl students.