Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Gram Gadi Yojana — ₹18/km Rural Bus Support — Frequently Asked Questions

It is a rural transport scheme from the Transport Department, Government of Jharkhand. It encourages private bus operators to run services on village routes by paying them a per-kilometre amount and waiving a set of statutory charges, so that villages get reliable links to block and district headquarters, schools, colleges, hospitals, main roads and commercial centres.

The assistance depends on how many passengers the bus can seat. A bus with 7 to 12 seats gets ₹7.50 per km, 13 to 24 seats gets ₹10.50 per km, 25 to 32 seats gets ₹14.50 per km, and the largest slab of 33 to 42 seats gets ₹18 per km.

Private bus operators registered in Jharkhand are eligible, provided they deploy new light or medium commercial four-wheeled vehicles with 7 to 42 seats excluding the driver. They also have to accept the approved route and the government-prescribed fare structure. Preference goes to vehicles that link rural routes with block or district headquarters, schools, colleges, hospitals and main roads.

The scheme covers new light and medium commercial four-wheeled buses with seating capacities between 7 and 42 passengers, driver excluded. The vehicle must comply with the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and have either a Hard Top or Soft Top body.

No. This is grant-style assistance, so there is no equity, shareholding or profit share involved — the per-kilometre support and the waivers stay with the operator. The only payment an applicant makes is a nominal ₹1 fee when submitting the application form at the RTO.

Operators are exempt from road tax, permit fees, application fees, registration fees and fitness inspection fees. They also receive subsidies towards operational costs such as fuel, priority access at government bus stands, and exemption from stand fees, tolls and municipal entry fees. Route permits can be sanctioned for routes up to 125 km.

Permits are issued by the Regional Transport Authority for the specified rural route, with a permitted span of up to 125 km. After five years, an operator can apply for renewal, if applicable, subject to satisfactory performance and continued adherence to the scheme guidelines.

The process is offline. Pick up the application form at your Regional Transport Office or download it from the official transport department website, fill in your personal details, vehicle specifications and the route you propose, attach the supporting documents named in the application guidelines, and submit everything at the RTO with a fee of ₹1.

No. The scheme runs on a rolling basis and stays open, so you can submit your application at the Regional Transport Office at any point rather than racing a fixed closing date.

Yes. The Regional Transport Authority reviews each application for compliance with the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and with the scheme's conditions, and operators who have violated permit conditions in the past may be excluded from the scheme.

No. DPIIT (Startup India) recognition is not listed as a mandatory requirement for Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Gram Gadi Yojana — ₹18/km Rural Bus Support, though having it can strengthen your application and unlock other benefits.

Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Gram Gadi Yojana — ₹18/km Rural Bus Support is offered by Transport Department, Government of Jharkhand, a government body. It is provided as non-dilutive funding.

Apply directly through the official application link on this page. Review the eligibility criteria and prepare your startup documents before you begin.