Karnataka govt launches ’Shakti’ scheme offering free bus ride for women

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, June 11, 2023: Karnataka government on Sunday launched one of their five poll guarantees, the ‘Shakti’ scheme, which offers free travel to women in government buses in the state.

The event was attended by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy D K Shivakumar, and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who also unveiled the scheme’s logo.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasized that the free bus travel scheme aimed to promote social equality and benefit marginalized communities, women, and underprivileged classes. He stressed the importance of women’s equal participation in society and expressed hope that the initiative would encourage more women to join the workforce, citing India’s lower female workforce participation compared to countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the US.

Transport Minister Reddy assured that the Road Transport Corporations (RTC) would not suffer any financial losses due to the implementation of the free bus travel scheme. He pledged the government’s commitment to financially support the RTCs and guaranteed the continuation of the scheme for a minimum of ten years, stating their intention to return to power after five years and uphold the initiative.

To indicate the availability of free travel for women, authorities will affix ’Free travel for women’ stickers on the windscreens of city, ordinary, and express buses, which constitute approximately 94 percent of the schedules operated by the state’s four Road Transport Corporations (KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC).

This scheme is expected to benefit the vast majority of the 4 million women who travel on RTC buses daily and is projected to increase overall ridership by at least 10 percent.