'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.

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