Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued a zero-value ticket to a woman passenger in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Supplied)
Karnataka Chief Secretary Vandita Sharma on Sunday, 11 June, became a part of the Congress’ political history when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued her the first zero-value ticket under the Shakti scheme.
It marked the launch of the implementation of the first of the five poll guarantees the Congress had given in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly polls, which it won by a staggering majority last month.
The scheme is expected to benefit 2.5 crore women across the state every year, and 41.8 lakh women passengers every day.
Karnataka Transport Department officials said the scheme would cost the state exchequer ₹4,051.56 crore every year.
The chief minister, at the inauguration ceremony held at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, released Shakti scheme smart cards, which women could carry to avail of their free rides, and stickers for state buses to denote that the scheme was available on them.
Before delivering the first zero-value ticket on Sunday, Siddaramaiah issued Shakti scheme smart cards to five women — Radha, Sumitra, Pavitra, Kalavathi, and Prema, none of whom were Congress workers.
Sumitra, among the women who received the smart card from Siddaramaiah, said she was “very happy that I received the smart card from the chief minister”.
She added: The scheme will help women, especially the poor and middle class. It will help us, as we can use the amount that was used for bus charges for some other household needs.”
Women should also ensure that they use the facility responsibly, and don’t misuse it anyway, she said.
Stating that he was happy to be a part of the inauguration of the scheme, Siddaramaiah then turned bus conductor and issued the first zero-value tickets while riding on a Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus from Vidhana Soudha the Kempegowda Bus Station — one of the larger transport hubs in the city.
ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ತನ್ನ ಹೆಗಲ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೊತ್ತು ಹಗಲಿರುಳು ಶ್ರಮಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ನನ್ನ ಸಹೋದರಿಯರಿಗೆ,
ಉಜ್ವಲ ಭವಿಷ್ಯದ ಕನಸು ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡು ಶಾಲಾ ಕಾಲೇಜುಗಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಬೆಳೆಸುವ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿನಿಯರಿಗೆ,
ಅನಾರೋಗ್ಯ, ಅಗತ್ಯ ವಸ್ತುಗಳ ಖರೀದಿ ಇನ್ನಿತರ ಕೆಲಸ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳ ನಿಮಿತ್ತ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಮಾಡುವ ನಾಡಿನ ತಾಯಂದಿರಿಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಈ ಶಕ್ತಿ… pic.twitter.com/oVKnOM6Fe0— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 11, 2023
Besides Sharma, another recipient of the first zero-value tickets was Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee president Pushpa Amarnath.
At the Kempegowda Bus Station, Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar issued zero-value tickets under the Shakti scheme to the masses.
Subsequently, he reasserted in a public address that all women in the state could take advantage of this scheme.
He said: “This will benefit around 2.5 crore women, which is almost half of the state’s population.”
Siddaramaih added: “If society has to head towards development, women should have an equal share of opportunities.”
As per his directions, all district in-charge ministers launched the scheme in their respective districts, while legislators launched it in their constituencies on Sunday.
Former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi announced this scheme in Mangaluru on 27 April, in the run-up to the 10 May Karnataka Assembly elections.
It was one of the five poll “guarantees” given by the Congress, which said it would implement them as soon as it came to power.
Following the Congress’ win of the election, there has been quite some confusion over who would benefit from the schemes.
While some of the other poll guarantees have suffered from exclusion, the Shakti scheme has been praised for its inclusivity.
According to Karnataka Transport Department officials, all women — including girl students — without any discrimination on the basis of caste or religion, would be able to avail of the facility. Gender Minorities are also included in the scheme, they said.
However, this scheme is available to only domiciles of Karnataka.
The free travel service can be availed in city-transport, ordinary, and express buses which account for 18,609 buses in all four state-owned road transport corporations (RTCs).
The RTCs are the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), North East Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
The chief minister clarified on Saturday, and reiterated on Sunday that, if a passenger had to cross the state border while travelling from one district to another district of Karnataka in RTC buses, they would not be charged, but this exemption was limited up to 20 km.
Until smart cards are issued, he added on Sunday, women in the state could produce a valid photo identity card issued by the Government of India, Government of Karnataka, or government-owned offices to get a zero-value ticket for free bus travel.
He further said: “The government noted that this scheme will reduce the travel expenses of working women from poor and lower-middle classes, and as the savings can be used for household expenses, the scheme has brought smiles on women’s faces.”
The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government had invited Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekar and other BJP parliamentarians to the inauguration of the scheme, but none of the leaders from the saffron cadre turned up.
The BJP has severely criticised the Congress government over the implementation of the latter’s five poll guarantees, and said that it would affect the state’s financial conditions.
The government had also invited BJP MPs PC Mohan and Tejasvi Surya and all the 16 BJP MLAs from Bengaluru — including R Ashok — for the inaugural ceremony. However, none of them were present at the ceremony.
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