Bengaluru (IANS) | The Congress-ruled Karnataka government is set to launch Shakti Yojana on Sunday, which will provide free bus travel for all women in state-owned Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and other corporations. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be the ‘conductor’ to inaugurate the scheme and he will issue free tickets to women traveling from Majestic BMTC bus stop to Vidhana Soudha. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy will be present on the occasion.
After the inauguration of the scheme in Bengaluru, police will be deputed in all BMTC buses to avoid any confusion and untoward incident till the smooth launch of the scheme. All eight DCPs in Bengaluru have been directed to ensure peace. There are chances that miscreants will create confusion to gain political mileage. For this, judicial police and 2,000 home guards have been deployed. Hoysala vehicles will also patrol the streets.
The scheme will be flagged off by district in-charge ministers at all district headquarters in Karnataka. The state government had extended the scheme to women who walk a distance of 20 kilometers from the border to other neighboring states.
The government will provide smart cards for women and till then they can travel by showing local address documents like Aadhaar, Driving License, Voter ID. It is estimated that around 40 lakh women travel in state-owned buses every day and this number is likely to increase after the launch of the scheme.
Siddaramaiah has said that the government will need Rs 59,000 crore annually to implement the five guarantees promised during the elections. The financial requirement for the remaining months of the current year is Rs 41,000 crore. The Congress government is introducing five guarantees in a phased manner and has made announcements in this regard. Free bus travel is the first scheme.
The state has given 10 kg free rice to each member of BPL family under Anna Bhagya Yojana, Rs 2,000 allowance to female head under Griha Lakshmi Yojana, Rs 3,000 allowance for two years to unemployed graduates, unemployed diploma holders for this academic year 1,500 and has promised to provide 200 units of free electricity to all families under the Griha Jyoti Yojana.
–IANS
