Free bus, Metro rides scheme: What Delhi govt's proposal means to women

Contrary to the expectation that women in urban areas get more employment opportunities, the data show that India's female labour force participation rate in cities is lower than in rural areas

On a winter’s day in early 2018, 23-year-old data entry executive Sheela* had to make a split-second decision when the driver of her shared mini-van ignored her requests to slow down and drop her off: she could either stay on the vehicle--the lone passenger--and risk possible assault, or jump off the moving vehicle and risk injury.

She chose to leap off, injuring her right arm and ankle to ensure her safety from the driver of the gramin seva (rural service) van, a preferred mode of transport in the low-income suburbs of India’s capital. Travelling more than 7 km from