CM Revanth Reddy Hands Over 553 Buses to TGRTC via SHGs
Synopsis
CM Revanth Reddy handed over 553 SHG-owned buses to TGRTC under Mahila Shakti Pathakam at Secunderabad Parade Grounds and pledged 3,000 more on rental basis, targeting 1 crore women members and crorepati status by 2034.
Key Takeaways
553 buses owned by women's self-help groups were formally handed over to TGRTC on a rental basis under Mahila Shakti Pathakam on June 9, 2026 .
CM Revanth Reddy announced an additional 3,000 buses will be transferred to TGRTC through SHGs in the coming days.
Cheques worth Rs 20.34 crore (bus rental), Rs 500 crore (zero-interest loans), and a figure of Rs 10,700 crore (Mahalakshmi free-travel savings) were distributed to SHG federations.
SHG membership stands at 67 lakh ; the government targets 1 crore members with a goal of making them financially independent by 2034 .
Bank linkages of Rs 61,000 crore provided to SHGs, with Rs 2,000 crore paid as zero-interest subsidy to banks.
SHGs have been assigned management of canteens, petrol bunks, 27,000 schools under Amma Adarsha Pathashala, and housing under Indiramma Illu — all registered in women's names.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, flagged off 553 buses owned and managed by women's self-help groups (SHGs) to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGRTC) under the Mahila Shakti Pathakam at a ceremony held at Secunderabad Parade Grounds. The event was part of the Praja Palana – Pragati Pranahika (Public Governance – Progress Plan) programme's Mahila Varotsavalu (Women's Week) celebrations. The Chief Minister's Office of Telangana announced that an additional 3,000 buses will be handed over to TGRTC through women's SHGs on a rental basis in the coming days.
Context
The ceremony at Secunderabad Parade Grounds saw CM Revanth Reddy hand over cheques to SHG federations under the Mahila Shakti and Mahalakshmi schemes. A rental cheque of Rs 20.34 crore was presented for buses handed over to TGRTC, along with a cheque of Rs 500 crore under the zero-interest loan scheme and a figure of Rs 10,700 crore representing savings under the free-travel programme. Ministers Seethakka, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and Ponnam Prabhakar were present alongside elected representatives, senior officials, and a large gathering of SHG women.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister declared: 'Koti mandi mahilalanu koteeśvarulanu chesye varaku viśraminchedam ledu' — 'I will not rest until I make one crore women into crorepatis.' He added that the target is to achieve this goal by 2034.
Policy Backdrop
The Mahila Shakti Pathakam is built on a model where district-, mandal-, and village-level SHGs purchase buses and hand them over to TGRTC on a rental basis, generating income for women's collectives while expanding the public transport fleet. This approach mirrors SHG-led service delivery models pioneered in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala over the past two decades, now scaled up in Telangana with added financial instruments including zero-interest credit linkages.
The companion Mahalakshmi Scheme, launched in late 2023 as a Congress election promise, provides free bus travel to women across the state, with the government compensating TGRTC — a figure the Chief Minister cited as exceeding Rs 10,000 crore. Telangana's SHGs currently have 67 lakh members, and the government has set a target of enrolling 1 crore members. Bank linkages of Rs 61,000 crore have been provided to SHGs, with Rs 2,000 crore paid to banks as zero-interest subsidy.
The government has also assigned SHGs management of Mahila Shakti canteens, petrol bunks on government land at district headquarters, and the Amma Adarsha Pathashala programme covering 27,000 schools across the state. 8,000 Stree Shakti Bhavans were inaugurated in a single event, with corporate-standard Mahila Shakti Bhavans at district headquarters planned for the future.
Stakeholders and Impact
For SHG members, the bus-rental model converts asset ownership into a recurring revenue stream without requiring operational expertise, as TGRTC manages day-to-day running. The Chief Minister directed district collectors to identify government land at district centres for petrol pump allotments to SHGs, broadening the income portfolio beyond transport. Housing under the Indiramma Illu scheme is being sanctioned in women's names, and the planned 1 lakh urban houses will also be registered in women's names.
On agriculture, the Chief Minister urged SHG members to educate farmers about crop diversification — moving beyond paddy and maize toward pulses such as red gram, black gram, and green gram, as well as vegetables and fruit orchards. He cited the launch of an international fruit market built at a cost of Rs 2,400 crore to support marketing of agricultural produce. CM Revanth Reddy also announced he will visit every parliamentary constituency shortly, asking local SHGs to prepare business plans in advance.
What's Next
The immediate pipeline includes the rollout of an additional 3,000 buses through women's SHGs to TGRTC on rental terms — nearly six times the current batch. The government has also committed to expanding SHG membership from 67 lakh to 1 crore and rolling out district-level Mahila Shakti Bhavans at a corporate scale. With the Chief Minister's constituency-level tour imminent, SHG federations are expected to submit localised business plans that could shape the next phase of the programme ahead of the 2034 empowerment target.
Point of View
000 additional buses signals that the government intends to scale this model significantly, potentially making SHG-managed fleets a structural feature of TGRTC's operations. The 2034 crorepati target, paired with constituency-level tours and localised business planning, suggests the programme is being designed as a long-cycle electoral asset as much as a welfare initiative. The breadth of sectors now assigned to SHGs — transport, schools, canteens, petrol bunks, housing — points to a deliberate strategy of institutional entrenchment that would be politically costly for any successor government to unwind.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mahila Shakti Pathakam in Telangana?
Mahila Shakti Pathakam is a Telangana government scheme under which women's self-help groups purchase buses and hand them over to TGRTC on a rental basis, earning regular income while expanding the public transport fleet.
How many buses were handed over to TGRTC on June 9 2026?
553 buses owned by women's SHGs were handed over to TGRTC at the Secunderabad Parade Grounds event on June 9, 2026 , with CM Revanth Reddy pledging 3,000 more in the coming days.
What is the Mahalakshmi Scheme in Telangana?
The Mahalakshmi Scheme provides free bus travel to women across Telangana, with the state government compensating TGRTC for the revenue foregone — a figure cited by CM Revanth Reddy as exceeding Rs 10,000 crore .
What is Telangana's target for women SHG membership?
Telangana currently has 67 lakh SHG members and the government has set a target of enrolling 1 crore members , with a goal of making all of them financially independent by 2034 .
What cheques did CM Revanth Reddy distribute at the Mahila Varotsavalu event?
CM Revanth Reddy distributed a rental cheque of Rs 20.34 crore for buses given to TGRTC, a cheque of Rs 500 crore under the zero-interest loan scheme, and cited Rs 10,700 crore in Mahalakshmi free-travel savings to SHG federations.
