TG govt to bankroll SHGs to procure buses & run for RTC

Hyderabad: The State government has taken another step forward to economic empowerment of the Self Help Groups (SHGs) by deciding to provide bank loans to them to run RTC buses on hire.

The SHGs will buy buses and run them for RTC. In the wake of increasing demand for RTC buses after introducing free travel for women across the State, the government came out with a plan to support the SHGs to run buses. On a pilot basis, the RTC has decided to allocate rented buses to women's associations in two districts.

A meeting of the Transport and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development officials was held at the Secretariat on Tuesday. Panchayat Raj Minister Sitakka and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar discussed the modalities for implementing the scheme with officials. In the first phase, the bus service scheme by RTC will be introduced in CM Revanth Reddy’s home district of Mahbubnagar and Transport Minister's district Karimnagar. It has been decided to purchase 100-150 buses through SHGs. A separate system will be developed for the management of buses purchased by the associations and leased to the RTC. The government will take a final decision after studying the comprehensive report, including the cost of the purchase of RTC buses, revenue generation, management costs, and other factors.