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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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
