TSRTC to hire women drivers soon: Minister Ponnam

The government would recruit women drivers for the TSRTC, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said.
He said that an award should be instituted named the Mahalakshmi Award to women employees who perform outstandingly well every year.
Ponnam Prabhakar and TSRTC MD VC Sajjanar presented the Grand Festival Challenge 2023-24 Awards to 157 TSRTC employees at the RTC Kalabhavan in Hyderabad on Thursday.
“The Provident Fund (PF), CCS and other pending issues will be brought to the attention of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and they will be resolved quickly. The TSRTC is making profits after implementing the Mahalakshmi scheme. So far 24 crore women have made use of this scheme,” Ponnam said.
Speaking to The Pioneer the TSRTC MD VC Sajjanar said that a few years back TSRTC had hired women drivers but they had not shown interest.
A TSRTC official said that to be hired as a driver there are some requirements. Candidates should have three years of experience after acquiring a heavy vehicle license. They have also to meet the height and other physical requirements.
“The role of employees is crucial in the development of the TSRTC. Officers and staff worked relentlessly during the Medaram Jatara. Some drivers worked without even taking meals to ferry devotees safely. After the introduction of the Mahalakshmi Scheme work pressure has increased on TSRTC staffers,” Sajjanar said. He thanked the staff for working patiently under pressure.
“The support of passengers, the collective efforts of employees, the planning by the authorities and the cooperation of the government are helping the company to post good results.
The corporation is planning to purchase 2,000 new buses to meet the increased traffic demand due to the Mahalakshmi Scheme and proposals have been sent to the government,” he said.
Before the introduction of the Mahalakshmi Scheme, the best region was Karimnagar, but after that the best region is Hyderabad, he added.