Karnataka to revoke ’Shakti’ free bus travel scheme for women? CM Siddaramaiah reacts

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified on Thursday the government has received no proposal seeking to revisit the 'Shakti' scheme, which provides free bus travel for all women domiciled in the state. His statement came a day after Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed several women commuters expressed their wish to pay for their bus tickets.

"There is no such proposal before the government. He [Shivakumar] only said what some women are saying. I don't know, I was not there. I will speak…," Siddaramaiah was quoted by PTI as saying on Thursday. 

The CM was responding to a question regarding the Deputy CM's statement. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "There is no situation for revisiting it at the government level. There is no such intention, there is no such proposal."

On Wednesday, Shivakumar claimed that many women had tweeted and emailed him about their willingness to pay for travel, and that they don’t want free rides.

After flagging off new Airavata club class 2.0 buses of the state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Shivakumar was quoted by PTI as saying, “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.”

The Deputy CM reportedly said, "About 5 to 10 percent 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.”

“Let's see, we will all sit and discuss it. They are a section [of women], they may be 5-10 per cent. Let's see, some have honestly expressed they are ready to pay. Ramalinga Reddy (Transport Minister) and I – we will discuss in the government, what to do,” Shivakumar was quoted as saying.

The ‘Shakti’ scheme is one of the five guarantee schemes rolled out by the Congress government after coming to power last year. It was launched on June 11, 2023, within a month of the government assuming office. As on October 18, 2024, the state spent ₹7,507.35 crore on the Shakti scheme for the 311.07 crore free rides by the women.

(With inputs from agencies)