Elderly women in UP to get free bus travel under new govt scheme
Uttar Pradesh has rolled out a new welfare scheme offering free bus travel to elderly women across the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Wednesday, August 26.
The scheme, named 'Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrushakti Yatra', was formally launched by Adityanath at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow, where he flagged off a fleet of special buses earmarked for the initiative and met several women who will benefit from it, an official statement said.
Speaking at the launch, the chief minister used the occasion to spotlight the state's broader women's safety infrastructure. He pointed to the network of Mission Shakti centres now operating across UP, along with AI-powered Safe City surveillance systems in every city and an integrated emergency response mechanism built around the 1090 and 112 helplines.
Adityanath struck a stern note on crimes against women, warning that anyone found violating a woman's safety, whether within the home or outside it, would face severe consequences.
"If anyone breaches the safety of a daughter, whether inside the house or outside, then consider it final that the person will have either jail or hell waiting for him," he said.
He also flagged the deployment of women beat officers across the state as a first-of-its-kind measure, claiming it may be the first such initiative anywhere in the country. "This has happened for the first time in Uttar Pradesh, and perhaps in the country," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
