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Odisha's 'Mo Bus' Receives Prestigious UN Public Service Award For Its Distinctive, Inclusive Community Service

Almost 40 per cent of Mo Bus conductors are women, and 100 per cent of Mo E-Ride drivers are women, transgender people, and people from marginalised communities, thereby earning the UNPSA.

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The United Nations (UN) awarded ten global initiatives with the prestigious UN Public Service Award (UNPSA) on June 22 for their effort in helping the world recover from the pandemic. Odisha's public transport service 'Mo Bus' is one of those recipients, according to the announcement by the global organisation.

Why 'Mo Bus' Has Been Awarded?

The company profile for Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) India reads that it was earlier the Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Services, which was mainly created to form intra-city and inter-city bus services in the state.

It transformed to CRUT on May 4, 2018, which became the primary agency for providing public transit services within Bhubaneswar, and neighbouring Puri and Cuttack. Later, CRUT, on November 6, 2018, rolled out newer buses under the title, 'Mo Bus', which means 'My Bus'.

The website for UNPSA states that Mo Bus and the public transit in Odisha have organised themselves to provide a "reliable and integrated public bus service", with incorporated live tracking, e-ticketing, and travel planning, along with an e-rickshaw system called Mo E-Ride.

This has reduced pollution by 30-50 per cent. Also, 40 per cent of Mo Bus conductors are women, and 100 per cent of Mo E-Ride drivers are women, transgender people, and people from marginalised communities, thereby earning the UNPSA.

What Are UN Public Service Awards?

The UNPSA, launched in 2003, aims to identify excellence in delivering public service, which further promotes effectiveness, inclusiveness, and transparency to achieve the region's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and award 10 of them.

This year's winners also used ICT and digital government initiatives to help the world recover from the COVID-19 pandemic while showing resilience and inventiveness in times of need, as The New Indian Express reported.

The winners of the 2022 UNPSA were announced at a virtual ceremony by Liu Zhenmin, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to celebrate the United Nations Public Service Day.

Other Winners

The ten initiatives were from Canada, India, Brazil, Panama, Philippines, Ireland, Ukraine, Thailand, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, all demonstrating services and programmes to advance gender equality, keep children safe, and protect underwater life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some examples of the award-winning initiatives include community centres to help children in Brazil, the implementation of equal pay for women and marginalised communities in Canada, and a fishing village using drone technology to help underwater life in Thailand, among other bold programmes and services at this year's UNPSA.

Also Read: Landslides Interrupt Road Connectivity To Kashmir, Over Thousands Of Vehicles Stuck & Schools Closed

Contributors Suggest Correction
Writer : Shiva Chaudhary
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Editor : Snehadri Sarkar
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Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary

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