Karnataka govt approves purchase of 1000 buses to aid Shakti Scheme
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has taken a significant step towards bolstering the Shakti scheme, which offers free bus transportation for women in the state. The government has approved the purchase of more than 1,000 buses for this initiative, allocating a budget of Rs 500 crore. This decision was reached during a Cabinet meeting held on Thursday.
HK Patil, Karnataka's Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, revealed the allocation details after the meeting. He stated, "The Transport Department will procure 250 new buses for the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) at a cost of Rs 100 crore. The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) will receive 375 buses for Rs 150 crore. The Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) will acquire 250 new buses at a cost of Rs 300 crore, while the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is set to acquire 320 air-conditioned electric buses for Rs 150 crore."
Initially, the government had sanctioned the distribution of smart cards to eligible applicants under the Shakti scheme for three months. However, it has now decided to extend the smart card distribution deadline by an additional six months. For each smart card issued to beneficiaries, a service charge of Rs 14.16 will be collected.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy also revealed that the government has given approval for the recruitment of 13,000 drivers and conductors for the state transport corporation. These appointments are necessary due to existing vacancies and numerous requests received by the government. A proposal has been submitted to the Finance Department for the required approvals, he added.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
