Lucknow: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the process from formulation to implementation of public welfare schemes for the convenience of the people of the state is being completed swiftly. The Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana has emerged as a major example of this.
The Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana was approved during the Yogi Government's Cabinet meeting in March 2026. In less than four months, 56 out of Uttar Pradesh's 75 districts have been connected with bus services on rural routes. Along with this, work is being carried out on a war footing to connect every village in the state with bus services.
Through the Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana, bus services are being extended to villages and rural routes where regular public transport facilities were not available earlier. The objective of the scheme is to connect all Gram Panchayats in the state with transport facilities and provide the rural population with safe and convenient connectivity to block, tehsil and district headquarters.
At the same time, in cooperation 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.
According to the Transport Department, a total of 1,012 applications have been received under the scheme so far, of which 858 applications have been selected. At present, operations of 215 mini buses have commenced in 56 districts across the state, directly benefiting a large number of rural families. The government and the department are expanding the scheme in a phased manner so that public transport facilities can reach the last village of the state.
Under the scheme, the highest number of buses, 43, has started operating in Prayagraj. Besides this, operations have commenced with 27 buses in Muzaffarnagar, 19 in Jhansi, 18 in Mathura, 7 in Jaunpur, 6 in Hapur, 5 in Banda, 5 in Etah, 4 in Mau, 4 in Jalaun and 3 in Ballia. The number of buses is also being increased rapidly in other districts, continuously strengthening connectivity in rural areas.
The Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana is not limited to providing transport facilities alone but is also creating new employment opportunities for rural youth. In the operation of these mini buses, priority is being given on a regional basis to the applicant as well as bus drivers and conductors. As a result, employment opportunities have also started becoming available at the rural level.
Under the Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan Yojana, diesel, CNG, and electric mini buses with a seating capacity of 15 to 28 passengers are to be operated across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Only buses that are not more than eight years old will be eligible under the scheme. The difference between the bus model year and the year of registration will not exceed one year. Permission for bus operations will initially be granted for 10 years, which may subsequently be extended by another five years.
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 region.
Under the scheme, all applications received are being scrutinized, and eligible applicants are being selected by a committee constituted under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate. The committee includes the Chief Development Officer, Assistant Regional Transport Officer, and Assistant Regional Manager.
Responsibility for the smooth implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of the scheme has been entrusted to the Regional Managers. They will submit a monthly progress report on the scheme to the Divisional Commissioner to ensure regular review of the work. To make the scheme simpler and more effective, the government has also exempted operators from the mandatory requirement of obtaining permits for bus operations, enabling transport services to commence quickly in rural areas.
