Cong-led Karnataka government to launch free bus travel scheme

The Congress-ruled government in Karnataka is set to launch a free bus travel scheme called Shakthi, which will enable all women to travel free of charge on buses owned by the state’s Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), as well as the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and other corporations. The state government will provide smart cards to the women, but until they are issued, they can use documents such as Aadhaar, driving licences or voter IDs with a local address to travel. It is estimated that around 40 lakhs of women travel on state-owned buses every day and the number is expected to rise after the scheme’s launch. The scheme is the first of five promised during the election campaign and has been launched in a phased manner. It is part of the government’s guarantees to provide 10 kilograms of free rice to every member of a below poverty line (BPL) family under the Anna Bhagya scheme, Rs 3,000 allowance for two years for unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 for unemployed diploma holders for this academic year, Rs 2,000 allowance for women and 200 units of free power for all households under the Griha Jyothi scheme. The government has estimated it will need Rs 59,000 crore annually to implement all five schemes; for the remainder of this year alone, the financial requirement is Rs 41,000 crore. District in-charge ministers across Karnataka will flag off the scheme at all the district headquarters.