Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi launched the buses in Gandhinagar. Credit: X/@Bhupendrapbjp

The Gujarat government on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) flagged off 139 new buses under the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Janjatiya Gaurav Transport Service to provide safe and timely transportation for students from remote tribal areas travelling to schools and colleges.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi launched the buses in Gandhinagar. The buses have been introduced jointly by the Tribal Development Department and the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) at a cost of ₹33.84 crore.

The new buses are part of the State government’s plan to deploy 250 buses under the scheme with a total outlay of ₹72 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged off the first batch of 111 buses from Dediapada in Narmada district on November 15 last year during the celebrations marking the 150th birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

With the addition of the new buses, the scheme is expected to benefit more than 4,100 tribal students by providing transport to schools and colleges in remote, hilly and inaccessible areas. The government said the service would promote higher education and girls’ education, improve attendance and help reduce school dropout rates.

All buses are equipped with GPS tracking and are linked to a web portal that records students’ names, bus pass numbers, routes, schools and villages for daily monitoring. The government said the buses would also be available for public use in tribal areas outside school and college hours under a revenue model.

The government said the 111 buses introduced in the first phase have been widely used by students in tribal districts, with around 5,700 students availing of the service during the 2026-27 academic year.

Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel, Minister of State for Transport Pravin Mali, Ministers of State P.C. Baranda, Jayram Gamit and Ramesh Katara, legislators from tribal areas, Chief Secretary M.K. Das and senior government officials were present at the ceremony.

Published - July 21, 2026 03:21 pm IST