Kejriwal proposes metro rides for Delhi students at half fare, seeks PM's support

In his letter to PM Modi, Arvind Kejriwal sought the Centre's support for his proposal to provide metro rides for students in Delhi at half of the regular fare.

In Short

• Kejriwal proposes 50% metro fare cut for Delhi students
• Subsidy to be shared by Delhi and Central governments
• PM Modi yet to respond to Kejriwal's letter

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday put forward a proposal to provide metro rides to students in Delhi at half of the regular fare in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In his letter to PM Modi, Arvind Kejriwal also proposed that the subsidy, given to students, will be equally borne by both the Delhi and Central governments.

Kejriwal also said that the Delhi government is proposing to "make bus travel completely free for students," in his letter to PM Modi.

"To reduce the financial burden on students, I propose providing a 50 per cent concession for students travelling on the Delhi Metro. As the Delhi Metro is a joint project between the Delhi Government and the Central Government with a 50:50 partnership, the expenditure incurred can be shared equally between the two governments," Arvind Kejriwal said to PM Modi in his letter which was written in Hindi.

"On our part, we are planning to make bus travel completely free for students," Kejriwal said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not yet commented on the letter from Arvind Kejriwal.

Earlier last week, the AAP chief also wrote a letter to PM Modi, urging the central government to include the Jat community in the list of Other Backward Classes (OBC), thereby facilitating reservations in education and jobs.

The letters by Arvind Kejriwal to PM Modi came just weeks before the Delhi Assembly polls. The AAP is eyeing a third term in Delhi after winning the Assembly polls.

The Delhi Legislative Assembly election is scheduled for February 5 and the counting of votes will take place on February 8.