V Saritha becomes TGSRTC's first woman driver
HYDERABAD: In a landmark step for women's empowerment, 39-year-old V Saritha from Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district has become the first woman driver for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC). Appointed through JBM Group, she now drives an electric bus on the Hyderabad–Miryalaguda route.
Hailing from Seethya tanda in Sansthan Narayanpur mandal, Saritha's journey has been one of resilience. In 2004, driven by the need to support her ageing parents, four sisters and a brother, she began driving an auto-rickshaw.
'I drove an auto for over six years to care for my parents,' she told TNIE.
Determined to upgrade her skills, Saritha obtained a heavy vehicle licence and, with help from the Azad Foundation, moved to New Delhi. There, she learned Hindi and mastered the city's roads while working as a cab driver. In 2015, she became the first woman selected as a driver for the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) from a batch of 15 women. She drove 120–160 km daily and worked with the DTC for nearly a decade.
In May 2025, she returned to Telangana to care for her ailing parents. 'Though I was working in Delhi, my heart was always at home,' she said.
Saritha had first appealed for a job with TGSRTC in 2017, when she met then transport minister P Mahender Reddy. Encouraged by his support, she continued working in Delhi while awaiting an opportunity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Indian Express
As Palkhis enter Pune, refugees perform Fugdi to mark World Refugee Day
Refugees from different countries residing in India celebrated World Refugee Day by performing fugdi dance, a traditional folk dance from Maharashtra, at Aga Khan Palace in Pune. They performed the dance as part of a programme organised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday. About 30 refugees from countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iran, Yemen, gathered in Pune for the World Refugee Day event, held every year by the UNHCR on June 20, to honour refugees. 'We come from different countries. But we are a family,' said UNHCR project co-ordinator Jayant Patil. The refugees then shared their hobbies, danced and displayed their skills from singing to martial arts, while promoting peace and humanity. As the Palkhi processions were underway in Pune too, Patil talked about it with the refugees. He described how during Palkhis, people call each other mauli, which means mother, and perform fugdi, where he joined in with them on the dance. Palkhi procession is a major spiritual event in Maharashtra when Warkaris of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj accompany the palanquin carrying the paduka (sacred footwear) of the revered saints to Pandharpur in Solapur district on foot. At the event in Aga Khan Palace, the refugees also shared their experiences and problems. Aga Khan Palace houses the headquarters of Gandhi National Memorial Society (GNMS), which is a key partner of UNHCR in supporting refugees. A gymnastics and yoga professional from Ukraine said, 'In India, a person from Ukraine and Russia can be together peacefully. We are humans first.' Speaking to The Indian Express, he said he has been residing in Goa as a refugee for the last few months. A woman from Afghanistan, residing with her daughters as refugees in Pune said, 'I came to India with my daughter on a tourist visa in 2019. Soon, Covid started. We were stuck in India, our visa expired. Then the Taliban regime started in Afghanistan in 2021, where women have no rights. I was a teacher in Afghanistan. I cannot go back as there is a threat to my life. I manage to survive in India, but face severe financial problems.' A professor from Yemen said, 'We are refugees. But we are fighters. Let us not stop fighting.' A doctor from Afghanistan, who performed a Hindi song Zindagi Pyaar Ka Geet Hai, said he is highly qualified and even studied on a scholarship at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) Pune. He too asaid he could not go back due to threats to his life. His mother and he have been refugees in India for the last few years and are trying to resettle in a third country. Anisha Acharya, UNHCR's assistant project officer in Pune said, 'Refugees from about 27 countries are residing in Maharashtra and Goa. We try to help them in the best possible ways.' Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007. Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the 'Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation' in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the 'Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry'. ... Read More
India.com
16 hours ago
- India.com
RPSC School Lecturer Exam 2025: Group 1 Hall Ticket Released At rpsc.rajasthan.gov.in- Check Direct Link, Steps To Download Here
RPSC School Lecturer Exam 2025: The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) has issued the admit cards for the School Lecturer (School Education) recruitment exam 2024 on June 20. Candidates appearing for the exam can download their hall tickets from the official websites— or entering their application number and date of birth. The recruitment exam will be held from June 23 to July 4, 2025. This drive aims to fill 2,202 lecturer posts across 24 subjects, including Hindi, English, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Urdu, and History. Applicants are expected to have working knowledge of Hindi in Devanagari script and an understanding of Rajasthani culture. Candidates are required to reach the examination centre at least 60 minutes before the exam starts. They must carry their admit card for identity verification. If the photograph on the admit card is unclear or outdated, they should bring a recent and clear photo on a valid ID like a driving licence, passport, or voter ID. Additionally, a government-issued ID such as an Aadhaar or PAN card must also be carried. RPSC School Lecturer Exam 2025: Steps to download here Step 1 – Go to the official website: either or Step 2 – Click on the link for the School Lecturer admit card available on the homepage. Step 3 – Enter your application number and date of birth in the login section. Step 4 – Click on the submit button to access your admit card. Step 5 – Download and print the admit card for future reference. RPSC School Lecturer Exam 2025; direct link here RPSC School Lecturer Exam 2025: Exam pattern The examination will include two papers, carrying a total of 450 marks. Paper I will be 1.5 hours long and worth 150 marks, while Paper II will last three hours and carry 300 marks. Both papers will consist of multiple-choice questions. For every incorrect answer, one-third of the allotted marks for that question will be deducted as a penalty.
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Indian Express
CBSE's mother tongue push leaves private schools in a bind — Kendriya Vidyalayas may show the way forward
A recent CBSE circular directing schools to introduce mother tongue instruction in primary classes has left institutions in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai — which serve mobile, multilingual populations — in a bind. But a proposal under consideration for Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), run by the Centre, may offer a way forward, officials told The Indian Express. In a circular issued to all its affiliated schools last month, the CBSE asked them to map students' mother tongues and stated that, from pre-primary to Class 2, teaching should be in the child's mother tongue or a familiar regional language. It also directed schools to realign their curriculum and teaching materials by the end of the summer break, with implementation to begin in July. Over 30,000 schools are affiliated with the CBSE. Kendriya Vidyalayas or KVs — 1,256 centrally run schools with around 13.56 lakh students — are also affiliated with the CBSE and primarily serve children of central government employees who are frequently transferred, including defence personnel and public sector employees. As a result, these schools have students from a wide range of linguistic backgrounds, a CBSE official pointed out. To implement the directive, the KVs are considering splitting classes into different sections based on the medium of instruction. For instance, in a KV located in Maharashtra, where Hindi and Marathi are the predominant languages, teaching could be conducted in separate sections according to language preference. Currently, the medium of instruction in KVs is bilingual — Hindi and English. In addition, English and Hindi are taught as subjects in the primary classes, while Hindi, English, and Sanskrit are subjects from Classes 6 to 8. This means that the sanctioned posts for language teachers in KVs are for Hindi, English, and Sanskrit. To enable teaching in the mother tongue, teachers will need to be allocated based on the findings of the language mapping exercise. A senior official in the Ministry of Education said that KVs already have a provision to arrange instruction in the regional language or mother tongue if at least 15 students in a class opt for it. Acknowledging that implementation may be particularly challenging in schools outside predominantly Hindi-speaking regions, a senior official in the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) said the first step would be to conduct a language mapping exercise and seek parental consent. Depending on requirements, contractual teachers may be appointed. In schools with multiple sections, it may be possible to offer instruction in one language in one section and a different language in another, the official said. CBSE officials noted that 200–300 schools, especially in metropolitan areas like Delhi and Mumbai, are likely to face difficulties due to the presence of multiple languages in a single classroom. In such cases, schools may have to divide students into sections based on language preference. Schools may also opt to teach in the local or regional language, the official added. At the primary level, students in Classes 1 and 2 are taught two languages and mathematics. With the new circular in place, mathematics will also need to be taught in the mother tongue or a familiar regional language. 'The schools will have to develop a system that works for them. We've told them that if they need more time, they can formulate a strategy and inform us,' the official said. The circular also acknowledged that some schools may need more time to transition and stated that additional time would be provided to ensure adequate resources, appropriate teacher deployment, and curriculum adjustments. For Classes 3 to 5, the circular stated that students may continue to learn in their mother tongue or a familiar regional language (R1), or be offered the option to study in a different medium (R2). In effect, this means that schools may begin English-medium instruction from Class 3 onwards, a CBSE official confirmed. The CBSE's push for mother tongue instruction aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, both of which recommend the use of the home language as the primary medium of instruction until at least the age of 8. The NCFSE states: 'Since children learn concepts most rapidly and deeply in their home language, the primary medium of instruction would optimally be the child's home language/ mother tongue/ familiar language.'
