Will review ‘Shakti scheme' as women prefer to pay for bus ride: DKS

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the government will review the Shakti scheme after several women commuters have expressed their wish to pay for their bus tickets. After flagging off new Airavata club class 2.0 buses of the state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Shivakumar said, “Many women have been communicating to us through social media and emails that they would like to pay for their tickets. We will discuss this.” Shakti scheme is one of the five pre-poll guarantees of the Congress government.

It offers free ride to women in non-luxury buses across Karnataka. It was launched on June 11, 2023 within a month of Congress coming to power. As on October 18, 2024, the state spent Rs 7,507.35 crore on the Shakti scheme for the 311.07 crore free rides by the women. Explaining further, he said, “About 5 to 10 per cent women say that the conductors are not taking money for the tickets even when they volunteer. I will soon hold a meeting with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy and discuss this.”