RAIPUR: The Congress government in the poll-bound Chhattisgarh has launched a scheme called ‘Chhattisgarh Yuva Mitan Parivahan Yojana’ that will give students free transportation from home to college or university and back.
The scheme is likely to benefit over a lakh of regular students in remote places who have enrolled in government colleges and universities, according to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. It is estimated that the annual cost to execute the scheme will be Rs 110 crore. Of this, half the amount will be borne by the state government and the remaining by bus operators.
The youths are apparently recognised as a rising force by the Congress government. It expects them to play a decisive role in the electoral process. According to one estimate, over 25 per cent of the state’s population are youth in the age group of 18-25 years. To avail of the benefits of the free transportation scheme, the student will have to apply for a bus pass with the college, mentioning the route in the official portal. The college will approve the application of students after verifying the details.
Once this process is completed, a student can log in and download the bus pass with a QR code. The free bus pass needs to be produced to the bus conductor on demand. “The new plan will help students financially and save their time. Those staying in far-flung areas will feel convenient to pursue their higher education,” said Dhani Ram, a resident of Kharora, 30 km from Raipur.
Last month, Congress government had invited its leader Rahul Gandhi to engage in a dialogue process with the youth in the ‘Rajiv Yuva Mitan Sammelan’ that was held at Nava Raipur. The event discussed the potential of youth and their positive role in politics. Also, the state government claims to have tried to fill the vacancies of the teachers. “Over 30,000 have been recruited to overcome the shortage of teaching staff in government schools; 1,252 assistant professors, 40 librarians, and 39 sports officers have also been appointed in colleges,” Baghel said.
The Congress government has initiated Yuva Mitan clubs in September 2021, to secure their role as youth power from gram panchayat to the municipal bodies. Each club has 20-40 youths and so far the state has 13,242 such clubs that engage in products and constructive roles. They get an annual grant of Rs 1 lakh from the government. The Baghel government has begun giving monthly allowance to jobless youths who get Rs 2,500 every month.
How to avail of scheme
To avail of the benefits of the free transportation scheme, the student will have to apply for a bus pass with the college, mentioning the route in the official portal. The college will approve the application of students after verifying the details. Once this process is completed, a student can log in and download the bus pass with a QR code. The free bus pass needs to be produced to the bus conductor on demand.