Lucknow: The Yogi government has now decided to launch Pink air-conditioned buses, exclusively for women in the state, to ensure safety of women.
The Union government has sanctioned Rs 50 crore for this project from the “Nirbhaya Fund”.
It may be recalled that the Government of India had announced the Rs 1,000 crore Nirbhaya Fund in 2013. These funds were meant for gender sensitization and also to ensured safety of women.
The “Nirbhaya Fund” was set up after the 2012 gang rape of a girl in a moving bus in Delhi. The incident led to national outrage when the girl died. The accused have been granted death sentence by court.
According to official sources, the Pink buses will operate on all important routes and no male passengers will be allowed on it. “The conductors of Pink buses will also be women, which mean that there will be new job opportunities for women in this project,” an official said.
The UPSRTC had earlier in 2008 launched Sakhi buses on selected routes for women but the project was withdrawn after it did not yield desired results.
