No proposal to revisit women's free bus travel scheme at govt level: Siddaramaiah

There is no proposal before the Karnataka government to revisit the Shakti scheme, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday (October 31), a day after his deputy, DK Shivakumar, hinted that the scheme for women’s free bus travel may be reconsidered as many women were themselves offering to pay for their 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 said in response to a question regarding the Deputy CM’s statement.

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No situation, no intention: CM

The Shakti scheme provides free bus travel for all women domiciled in the state. It is one of the five guaranteed 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.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said, “There is no situation for revisiting it at the government level. There is no such intention, there is no such proposal.”

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What Shivakumar said

Noting that many women had tweeted and emailed him about their willingness to pay for travel, and that they don’t want free rides, Shivakumar, addressing an event, said on Wednesday: “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.”

By October 18 this year, the state had spent Rs 7,507.35 crore on the Shakti scheme for the 311.07 crore free rides by women.

(With agency inputs)