Shakti scheme: Many dreams come true but Karnataka loses Rs 70 Cr in a week

Hanamakka had held on to a cherished dream for many years, which she finally fulfilled on Sunday (June 18), thanks to the Karnataka government’s new Shakti scheme.

All the 65-year-old woman from a remote village in North Karnataka’s Yadgir district wanted was to visit Dharmasthala once in her lifetime. But even travelling to the far south-western region of the state remained only a pipedream for her because of financial constraints.

But the Shakti scheme is making dreams come true for many like Hanamakka. The scheme — one of the five pre-poll guarantees of the Congress in Karnataka — has made it possible for women to travel free of cost in non-luxury buses operated by state-owned transport corporations. It came into effect on June 11.

With their new-found liberty, women are traversing the length and breadth of Karnataka in government buses. Dharmasthala, on the bank of the Netravati, in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, has become a hot destination for many women. It is one of the most sacred places in the state.

Also read: CM Siddaramaiah launches free bus travel scheme for women in Karnataka

On Sunday, which happened to be new moon (amavasya), hundreds of women took a holy dip in the Netravati and paid their obeisance to Lord Manjunatha, another name for Lord Shiva in Karnataka.

Favourite destinations

While Dharmasthala has so far topped the list of the most preferred destination for women, other places are on their favourite list too. Some of these are the Savadatti Yellamma temple in Belagavi, Chamundi Hill in Mysuru, 18th-century Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan’s capital Srirangapatna, Nanjangud in Mysuru, Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura, Kudalasangama in Bagalkote, Mookambika Temple and Krishna Temple in Udupi, Gol Gumbaz in Vijayapura, Basavakalyan in Bidar, Kittur in Belagavi, Hampi in Vijayanagara district, Anjanadri Hill in Koppal, Male Mahadeshwara temple in Chamarajanagar, and Chitradurga fort in Chitradurga district.

Among the four state-owned transport corporations, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) are running jam-packed buses.

Only the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses operating in Bengaluru city have been by and large untouched by the mad rush as seen in the other transport corporation buses.

Also read: Karnataka Gruha Jyoti site open now; a step-by-step guide to apply

These State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses were supposed to have 50 per cent reservation for men, but most of them are occupied only by women these days.

Women jostling for space and children being bundled into government buses through windows to occupy seats have become a common sight at bus stands.

In Kollegala town in Chamarajanagar district, the door of a KSRTC bus broke and fell off, as it could not bear the load of women who swung on them to get inside the crowded bus to Male Mahadeshwara Temple to offer special prayers to Lord Shiva on amavasya.

According to the Karnataka Transport Department, the scheme has since its launch cost the state exchequer Rs 70.29 crore, as 3.12 crore women have travelled free of cost in state-owned buses till June 17.

(With agency inputs)