Across Indian cities, women depend heavily on buses to get to work, school, healthcare, and to manage everyday caregiving. In recent years, several states have introduced women-specific bus fare subsidy schemes. Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu offer completely free rides for women in state-run buses, while Maharashtra offers 50% subsidy. Read more: Who benefits from the free bus for women scheme? These schemes have been both vilified as 'freebies' or touted as transformative solutions for women’s mobility. But do these schemes actually work? In 2025, the Sustainable Mobility Network commissioned a study to answer this very question. Beyond Free Rides…
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Freebies or freedom? What bus subsidies do for Indian women
Free bus travel for women in Indian cities cuts transport costs by 50 per cent and boosts jobs. Watch this interview to know more.
Where were these NGO’s when the entire stretch of Mysore – Bangalore was virtually denuded of all it’s Heritage tree cover ? This was a case where it was eminently feasible to save these trees if only more land had been acquired to create a parallel Road all along the stretch. Was BMIC necessary at all? Are these NGO’s concerned only about Bangalore City ? Yellappa Reddy’s emotional outbursts are unwarranted. If you are not ready to take the flak you have no business to be in public life. There are many People like Salumara Thimmakka, who have contributed more then the Reddy’s and Saldhana’s of the world.
For every development vs. environment situation, there exist a whole spectrum of views from one end to the other with several middle paths. It is important that HU and similar initiatives deeply research (and publish) all possibilities before taking a stand. Unfortunately as described above, most such discussions tend to become us vs. them with both sides being unable to be dispassionate. That said, it should not be forgotten that Yellappa Reddy is one of the pioneers of environmental protection in Karnataka and it must be said to his credit that he was one of the few to take up environmental issues even while he was in government.
Sir/Madam,
I am interested in planting trees at my area where i am located and turn the total area with trees and plants, i require your help and suggestion, about from where to get the plants and tree gourd at BBMP.
Regards
Selvan