Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flags off new buses, commanded by women drivers, on the occasion of ‘Maha Ashtami’ during the Navratri festival, in Ayodhya, on Oct. 22, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on October 22 flagged off 51 buses of the State transport corporation under “Mission Mahila Sarathi”, on the occasion of Durga Ashtami, in Ayodhya. These buses will be operated exclusively by women as drivers and conductors. “There could not be a more appropriate occasion than the date of ‘Maha Ashtami’ to link with Mission Shakti along with the launch of Mission Mahila Sarathi. The initiative seeks to connect and empower women drivers and conductors,” said Mr. Adityanath. The Chief Minister said that for the all-round development of society, women must be ensured dignity.

Emphasising on the safety, self-reliance and respect of women, Mr. Adityanath said the State government consistently promoted these ideas through the fourth phase of Mission Shakti. “Our Indian society has always believed in protecting the dignity of women. The Uttar Pradesh government consistently promoted the idea of safety, respect and self-reliance in the fourth phase of Mission Shakti,” he said.

‘Positive change’

Pointing to the high number of women employees in the State government, the Chief Minister said women were performing all kinds of roles with brilliance. “More than 1.5 lakh daughters and sisters have been employed in various roles with the Uttar Pradesh police and government. The desire to have women as drivers and conductors in the transport corporation has also been realised. Now, daughters have become fighter pilots too. It shows a positive change,” he said.

Mr. Adityanath also mentioned the expansion in the operations of the transport corporation. In the event, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of State for Transport (Independent Charge) Dayashankar Singh, local MLAs Vedprakash Gupta, Ramchandra Yadav, MLC Hariom Pandey, BJP district president Sanjeev Singh, Principal Secretary (Transport) L. Venkateshwarlu, Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and others were present.