Implementation of "Shakthi" scheme raises concerns among girl students in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Following the announcement of the "Shakthi" yojana by the Karnataka government, which provides free bus services for women across the state, students in Bengaluru have expressed concerns about decreased bus availability and overcrowding during peak hours.
The "Shakthi" Yojana, one of the five flagship guarantees promised by the Congress government, was inaugurated on Sunday, allowing women, including transgender, to travel for free in non-luxury and city buses operated by state government, throughout the state.
However, on the first day of its operation, several female students raised complaints about the reduction in bus services. They observed a larger than usual crowd at bus stands, causing delays and overcrowding. Neha Pradhan, a student at St. Paul's College, shared her experience, stating, "My friends and I noticed an unusually large crowd at the bus stand near Sapthagiri Engineering College. Despite waiting for 15 minutes, the bus did not arrive as it normally would with a frequency of two minutes. As a result, we had to take a private bus towards the 8th mile."
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Disha. P, another student from the same college who frequently travels from Kunigal to Bengaluru city, also faced similar challenges. She had to wait for long hours for the bus to arrive, and when it did, it was overcrowded. She said, "I saw women arrive in large numbers at Binnamangala and other areas."
Nithya, a student of MLaC College, shared a similar experience. She mentioned the difficulty of boarding buses due to the increased crowd, especially considering the presence of multiple women's colleges near the Malleshwaram vicinity.
When approached for comment, a BMTC bus conductor working on the BC-7B 8th Mile to Byadarahalli route, where students had complained of reduced services, stated that the bus services ran as usual on their route. However, he acknowledged witnessing a large number of women passengers on that day.
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New Delhi: US President Donald Trump, tech mogul Elon Musk, newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus are among the key global figures named in the Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2025 list.
In a notable shift from previous years, no Indian citizen has made it to the influential list this year, a stark contrast to 2024, which saw the inclusion of Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt and Olympic wrestler Sakshi Malik, alongside Indian-origin personalities such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and actor Dev Patel.
The 2025 list honours personalities across diverse fields — politics, science, technology, business, and entertainment — who have made significant contributions over the past year.
This year’s list is organised into various categories, including Leaders, Icons, and Titans. Interestingly, the 'Leaders' category includes Indian-origin Reshma Kewalramani, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Kewalramani, who migrated from India to the US at the age of 11, made history as the first woman to lead a major biotechnology company in the country.
Notably, Yunus, 84, a Nobel laureate, is the oldest to feature in the list.
The 2025 edition of Time’s iconic list was launched with five international cover stars: Hollywood actor Demi Moore, rapper Snoop Dogg, tennis legend Serena Williams, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, and Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind.
