15 additional buses to ferry girl students

NASHIK: The state government, under its Manav Vikas Mission (MVM) initiative to provide free bus service for girl students in rural parts of Maharashtra, will add another set of 15 buses for transporting girls in the select eight talukas of the district.
According to the district revenue officials, at present, there are 40 buses deployed for transporting girl students in MVM-selected eight talukas, free of cost.The fleet of 15 buses will be added by July.
The eight talukas selected under the MVM include Igatpuri, Trimbakeshwar, Surgana, Peth, Kalwan, Dindori, Baglan and Nandgaon. The criteria for selection of the talukas where the 13-point MVM is being implemented were women literacy levels, lower human development index and population below poverty line. The eight talukas are among the 127 bottom-most talukas selected state-wide where the programme is being implemented.
The state government has given funds worth Rs 2 crore per taluka, per year for implementation of such schemes. Special measures have been taken to raise key parameters of health, education and livelihood in these select talukas.
"The blue buses run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) ferry only girl students, free of cost, from their homes to schools and back in the rural parts of the district. The girl students are given first priority and then, if there is space left, boys and others are accommodated, but they have to pay for the service accordingly," district planning officer Pradeep Potdar said, adding that there was an overwhelming response to the bus service and hence it had been decided to increase the number of buses.
Accordingly, Trimbakeshwar taluka will get a new bus, while the remaining seven talukas - Igatpuri, Surgana, Peth, Kalwan, Dindori, Baglan and Nandgaon - will get two buses each. The bus routes have been decided and will be operated by the MSRTC. The corporation will used these buses for commercial operations during non-school timings.
The MSRTC officials said they were ready to induct the additional buses in the new routes which will further help the cash-starved state-carrier to provide better services in the remote areas of the district.