Lucknow, Jul 19 (PTI): In less than four months since its launch, the Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana has covered 56 of Uttar Pradesh's 75 districts, where bus services have been launched on rural routes, officials said on Sunday.

The Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana was approved during a Cabinet meeting in March. Under the scheme, bus services are being extended to villages and rural routes where regular public transport was previously unavailable.

The objective is to connect all the gram panchayats in the state with transport facilities and provide the rural population with safe and convenient connectivity to block, tehsil and district headquarters, an official statement said.

In coordination with private bus operators, transport services are also being introduced on routes where buses operated by the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) are in limited numbers, it said.

At present, operations of 215 mini buses have commenced in 56 districts across the state, directly benefiting a large number of rural families, the statement said.

The government and the transport department are expanding the scheme in a phased manner, so that public transport facilities can reach the last village, it added.

The highest number of buses, 43, has started operating in Prayagraj, followed by Muzaffarnagar (27), Jhansi (19), Mathura (18), Jaunpur (7), Hapur (6), Banda and Etah (5 each), Mau and Jalaun (4 each) and Ballia (3), the statement said.

The scheme is also creating employment opportunities for the rural youth, it said.

Diesel, CNG, and electric mini buses with a seating capacity of 15 to 28 passengers are to be operated across all 75 districts of the state under the scheme.

Only buses that are not more than eight years old will be eligible under it. Permission for bus operations will initially be granted for 10 years, which may be extended by another five years, the statement said.

The maximum operational age has been fixed at 10 years for diesel buses and 15 years for CNG and electric vehicles.

Only CNG and electric vehicles will be permitted to operate in the NCR, it said.

The eligible applicants are being selected by a committee headed by the respective district magistrates, with chief development officers, assistant regional transport officers, and assistant regional managers as members.

The government has exempted operators from the mandatory requirement of obtaining permits for bus operations, the statement said. PTI ABN ARI

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