New Delhi: Inspired by the Central government’s ‘One Nation, One Card’ initiative, the Rekha Gupta-led government in Delhi is set to roll out the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) for women, with President Droupadi Murmu scheduled to formally launch the facility on Monday, an official said.
The ‘Pink Card’ scheme will be launched at a programme titled ‘Sashakt Nari, Samriddh Delhi’ at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said.
On the occasion, selected eligible women beneficiaries will be formally presented with the Pink NCMC cards. The initiative is expected to mark a major reform in advancing a modern, digital and inclusive public transport system in the national capital, the Chief Minister said.
She said the card will provide free travel to women residents of the city on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses. It will also enable seamless paid access to the Delhi Metro, the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and other public transport services through a single smart card.
According to the Chief Minister, the initiative represents an important step towards making public transport more accessible, safer and digitally enabled. It will help reduce daily travel costs for women and expand access to education, employment, healthcare and other social opportunities.
Chief Minister Gupta said that three types of NCMC cards will be issued under the scheme.
“The Pink Card will be for eligible women residents of Delhi, the Blue Card for general commuters, and the Orange Card for monthly pass users. In the initial phase, the Pink and Blue cards will be launched, followed later by the Orange Card,” she said.
She said these cards will be integrated with the existing Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) operational across Delhi’s public transport network.
“The Pink Card will be provided completely free of cost to eligible women, with the entire expenditure borne by the Delhi government,” the Chief Minister said.
As many as 50 centres will be set up for card issuance, including offices of District Magistrates (DMs) and Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), along with selected DTC centres. The card will require minimal documentation to ensure a simple, swift and transparent process, she said.
Each Pink Card will be linked to the beneficiary’s mobile number and Aadhaar. Aadhaar-based authentication will verify age (above five years), gender (female), and Delhi residency (based on Delhi PIN code) to ensure eligibility and prevent duplication, according to an official statement.
The Pink Card will function as a contactless and secure smart card. It will maintain a digital record of every journey, reduce cash transactions and ensure greater transparency in revenue accounting.
The travel data generated will assist in route planning, optimising bus deployment and enabling informed decision-making, she said, adding that the Pink Card will replace the existing pink paper tickets, thereby simplifying and modernising the system.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the initiative is inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under ‘Digital India’ and ‘One Nation, One Card’, and represents a significant step towards establishing an integrated, modern and women-centric public transport system in Delhi.
(IANS)
