Gujarat's Divyang Bus Pass goes digital with DigiLocker integration

Gujarat's Social Justice and Empowerment Dept has integrated the Divyang Bus Pass with DigiLocker, allowing persons with disabilities to digitally access their pass for free travel on GSRTC buses. The move has earned the state national recognition.

The Social Justice and Empowerment Department, in collaboration with the State e-Governance Mission Team (SeMT), Gujarat, has successfully integrated the Divyang Bus Pass with DigiLocker. The initiative, which enables persons with disabilities to securely access their bus passes digitally, has earned the Government of Gujarat national recognition for excellence in citizen-centric digital governance, marking another significant step towards strengthening e-governance and improving public service delivery, according to a release.

The integration allows persons with disabilities to securely store and access their bus passes through DigiLocker, enabling them to avail themselves of free travel on Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses without the need to carry a physical pass.

A Step Towards Digital India

The initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of leveraging technology to make governance more accessible, transparent, and citizen-centric. Under the Digital India initiative, the Government has consistently promoted paperless governance and the seamless digital delivery of public services, enabling citizens to securely access essential documents and welfare benefits anytime, anywhere.

National Recognition for Gujarat

As part of its efforts to strengthen digital public service delivery, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology facilitated the integration of DigiLocker with state digital service platforms. In recognition of Gujarat's successful implementation of the Divyang Bus pass integration with DigiLocker, the state was felicitated at the National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Cybersecurity Frameworks for State Data, held in May.

Implementation and Benefits

The initiative under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel aligns with the state's broader vision of improving accessibility, convenience, and transparency through digital public infrastructure.

"The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has integrated the Divyang Bus Pass with DigiLocker and has so far issued over 4.42 lakh such passes across the state, enabling beneficiaries to travel free of cost on all GSRTC buses," said Dr. Pradyuman Vaja, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment.

"The DigiLocker integration eliminates the need to carry a physical pass while protecting beneficiaries against its loss or damage. It enables secure, anytime access through mobile devices, promotes paperless governance, and provides a government-approved digital document for seamless verification," said Harshad Patel (IAS), Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Additional Insurance Benefit

In addition to free bus travel, the Divyang Bus Pass provides an accidental death insurance cover of ₹4 lakh. In the event of the accidental death of a pass holder, the nominee or legal heir is entitled to receive the insurance benefit upon submission of the prescribed documents to the concerned department. (ANI)

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