Delhi govt aims to have 200 women bus drivers for DTC buses, Transport Minister gives appointment letter to first batch, check pics

Delhi govt aims to recruit 200 women bus drivers for DTC buses to empower women and create employment opportunities for them, reports PTI.

As a step towards providing employment opportunities for women, the Delhi government plans to have 200 women bus drivers with the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC). Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot handed over appointment letters to the first batch of 11 women bus drivers who have completed their training and will be employed with the DTC. Ten more women are getting trained, and other batches have also begun. Gehlot took to Twitter to share the news stating how under the able leadership of the Delhi Government the women of the national capital will be seen driving DTC buses on the roads of Delhi.

“Giving a new direction to women empowerment and employment @dtchq_delhi. As part of the special recruitment drive, 11 women drivers were given appointment letters. Now our sisters will be seen driving DTC buses on the roads of Delhi. CM @ArvindKejriwal under the able leadership of Delhi Government is committed for the upliftment of women,” read the tweet. 

"It is an important day for women. It was CM Arvind Kejriwal's dream to empower women and provide them employment. Today, 11 women drivers got employment letters after completing their training. Ten more women are getting trained while the other batches have also begun. We plan to have 200 women drivers in DTC," he said.

Hailing the women drivers for their courage to take up bus driving as a career choice and becoming role models for society, Gahlot said he is hopeful that they will inspire more women to become bus drivers with Delhi's transportation fleet.

"I am very hopeful that with more women driving Delhi government's buses, the public transportation in the city will become safer and passenger friendly. I wish them the very best for the future,? he added.

Gahlot also said the Transport Department has sent a proposal to the Labour Department to include bus drivers in the 'highly skilled' category, which would lead to an increase in their wages. He said that the decision has to be taken by the Labour Department.

He further said that the Transport Department has plans to offer drivers an option to choose between driving electric buses or the CNG ones. In February this year, the Delhi government relaxed the height and experience criteria for recruitment of women drivers for DTC and cluster buses in the capital.

The minimum height was reduced from 159 cm to 153 cm while the experience period after issuance of a heavy motor vehicle (HMV) license was lowered to one month from three years in the past for female applicants applying for the post of the bus driver.

"We had relaxed norms for them. These women drivers have completed a training of three months. They have been trained in the depot and also have had on-road training. Experienced trainers from DTC have trained them," Gahlot added.

Later, in a statement, the Delhi government said the relaxed norms increased opportunities for women's employment within the combined fleet strength of approximately 7,370 buses in the DTC and the Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS). The move also opened the doors for women to be employed within the 15,000-strong workforce of bus drivers in the state public transportation, it added.

(With inputs from PTI)