HAPPY scheme launched in Haryana for Antyodaya families

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Panchkula, March 7

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the Haryana Antyodaya Parivar Parivahan Yojana (HAPPY) scheme aimed at providing free travel up to 1,000 km for members of Antyodaya families on Thursday. The facility will be available for one year on Haryana Roadways buses. The state will be spending Rs 600 crore as initial and first-year costs on the project. The CM also unveiled 59 upgraded Model playway schools on the occasion.

To benefit 22.89L families

• Free travel up to 1,000 km
• Available for one year on Haryana Roadways buses
• Beneficiaries to pay a one-time cost of Rs 50 to procure the card

Khattar was the chief guest during a state-level function in Panchkula. He launched the HAPPY scheme and gave away symbolic mobility cards to six members of Antyodaya families. He said, under the new yojana, the benefits of free travel will be available to 22.89 lakh families, which have around 84 lakh persons, with an annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh.

“The beneficiaries would be issued smart cards linked to the e-ticketing system to enable free travel,” he said.

Officials said the beneficiaries will pay a one-time cost of Rs 50 to procure the cards and the balance cost of about Rs 109 and its annual maintenance charges will be borne by the government.

As many as 59 upgraded Model playway schools were unveiled through video-conferencing. The CM said it was a historic milestone for early childhood care and education in Haryana. Khattar said the state government had a bold vision for a future where every child would receive the best possible start in life, regardless of one’s socio-economic background.

He said the new initiative was executed by upgrading 4,000 anganwadi centres into playway schools. This was being done by equipping them with enhanced learning material, pre-school education kits, and training anganwadi workers to perform pedagogical functions.

He said the state had upgraded 59 such playschools, which had been renovated into model playschools with state-of-the-art facilities such as a BaLA (Building as Learning Aids) and equipped classrooms.