3,622 women issued Pink Saheli mobility cards on first day of distribution in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A day after President Droupadi Murmu launched the Delhi government’s ‘Pink Saheli’ smart card scheme, more that 3,500 women obtained their pink cards from around 50 designated distribution centres across the capital on Tuesday.

According to a senior official, 3,622 women approached various centres through the day and were issued the cards on the spot following due verification.

Among them, 3,612 eligible women were issued pink cards, while 10 blue cards were distributed, he said.

“The first day’s response is encouraging; we did not expected such a response on the first day and we hopeful to get more in coming days,” he added.

The Pink National Common Mobility (PNCM) card was launched on Monday by President Droupadi Murmu. It aims to provide women and transgender persons free travel on DTC and cluster buses, while also enabling access to multiple public transport systems through a single smart card under the ‘One Nation, One Card’ initiative.

Each pink card will be linked to the beneficiary’s Aadhaar and mobile number to verify age, gender and domicile.

The card will replace the existing paper-based pink ticket system and is expected to enable touch-free travel, maintain digital journey records and improve transparency in revenue accounting, according to officials.

While travel on DTC and cluster buses will be free for eligible women residents of Delhi, the card can also be used for paid journeys on other public transport services such as the Delhi Metro and the Regional Rapid Transit System

(RRTS), allowing commuters to use one card across different networks, they added.

Under the programme, three types of mobility cards will be issued -- pink for eligible women domiciled in Delhi, blue for general commuters and orange for monthly pass users, officials said, adding that in the first phase,

pink and blue cards are being rolled out, while the orange card will be introduced later.

The centres set up for issuance include offices of district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates, along with select Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) locations. Of the nearly 50 centres, 20 are operated by the DTC.

The DTC has also authorised Hindon Mercantile Limited (MufinPay) and Airtel Payments Bank Limited to issue the common mobility cards. The cards will

be integrated with the existing automatic fare collection system across the city’s public transport network, officials said.