'Migrants excluded': Delhi’s women’s day gift turns into a citizenship test

By A Representative

On March 2, 2026, President Draupadi Murmu launched the Delhi Government’s Pink Saheli Card, one of four schemes dedicated to women, promising free mobility on DTC buses. The initiative was showcased again on March 8, International Women’s Day, when Chief Minister Rekha Gupta boarded a DTC bus to highlight the Saheli Pink National Common Mobility Card (NCMC). The card allows women and transgender residents of Delhi to travel free on buses, but not on the metro or RRTS services, where regular fares still apply.

The scheme has drawn criticism for its eligibility criteria. The card requires proof of residence through Aadhaar or voter ID verification, excluding large sections of migrant workers and students who form a significant part of Delhi’s population. According to the Delhi Economic Survey (2022–23), nearly 283,000 people migrated to the city in 2021 in search of jobs. By restricting access to residents alone, the government has politicized what many see as a basic civic facility.

Concerns have also been raised about surveillance. The card requires phone verification and carries the holder’s photograph, raising questions about privacy and the government’s intent in branding it as a “national” card while limiting its scope to Delhi. Critics argue that this transforms mobility into a matter of citizenship, adding layers of monitoring to everyday travel.

The initiative has been compared to the earlier pink-ticket system introduced by the AAP government in 2019, which offered free bus rides to women. The current government has repackaged it as its own achievement, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day. Observers note that a day meant to celebrate the socialist roots of women’s rights has instead been used for political symbolism.

In a statement, the People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) said: “Given the political chicanery evident in the eligibility and surveillance criteria of the Pink Saheli Card, PUDR hopes that the people of the city will demand and ensure a more inclusive system for people’s right to travel without inconvenience and surveillance.”

The debate underscores how civic facilities, when tied to identity verification and surveillance, risk becoming instruments of political control rather than genuine empowerment.

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Beneath the stone: Revisiting the New Jersey mandir controversy

By Rajiv Shah A recent report published in the British media outlet The Guardian , titled “Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease,” took me back to my visits to the New Jersey mandir —first in 2022, when it was still under construction, though parts of it were open to visitors, and again in 2024, after its completion.

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

Ecologist Dr. S. Faizi urges UN intervention to save 35 million Gulf migrants

By A Representative Renowned ecologist and veteran United Nations negotiator Dr. S. Faizi has issued an urgent appeal to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for immediate diplomatic intervention to halt escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf. In a formal letter copied to several UN missions, Faizi warned that the lives and livelihoods of 35 million migrant workers—who comprise the vast majority of the population in many Gulf cities—are facing an unprecedented existential crisis.

Search This Blog