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In a country with one of the world’s lowest female labor participation rates, states are trying to give women more freedom to move around.
Chikamma travels half an hour every day from her home in a village on the outskirts of Bengaluru to work as a domestic helper in Yelahanka, close to the city’s airport.
For more than a decade, 39-year-old Chikamma, who only uses her first name, has taken the bus, which eats up a chunk of her 20,000 rupee ($240.45) monthly wages. Since the Karnataka state government made the public buses free to women in June, she has been able to save about 1,500 rupees a month.
“Earlier, I had money on some days, and on some days I didn’t,” Chikamma said. “Now, I am able to save up for household expenses and emergencies.” Her daughter’s ride to college is now also free.
Photographer: Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images