Shakti scheme set to cross 500-crore ticket milestone today
Bengaluru: The Congress-led Karnataka government’s flagship Shakti scheme, which allows women to travel free of cost in government buses, is poised to achieve a remarkable milestone on Monday—500 crore rides since its launch in June last year.
To commemorate the occasion, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy will symbolically issue tickets to women passengers in a special event.
Launched on June 11, 2023, just weeks after the Congress party returned to power, Shakti was the first of the five major poll guarantees to be implemented. Since then, it has transformed public transport access for women across the state.
“There’s no parallel to this scheme anywhere in the world,” said Reddy, highlighting its scale and impact. He also announced that the government is moving forward with a plan to introduce smartcards for beneficiaries. The cards aim to prevent misuse, such as conductors allegedly issuing fake tickets to inflate ride counts, and improve transparency in public spending.
Reddy added that the proposal has been submitted to the Finance Department for approval and will soon be placed before the cabinet.
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Udhayanidhi accuses BJP of not releasing funds for TN
Gobichettipalayam (PTI): Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Saturday charged the BJP government at the Centre with not releasing funds to the state and accused it of "snatching" TN's rights.
Addressing a poll rally at Gobichettipalayam in the western Erode district, the DMK youth wing chief claimed the Centre has not released funds to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore for education.
"They (union government) have snatched all our rights," he charged.
With regard to the Centre's proposal for delimitation, he said chief minister M K Stalin was the first person in the country to raise the voice against the union government's move. He claimed that it was a "huge victory" for the INDIA alliance, as the bill was defeated for lack of majority after the opposition voted against it in the Lok Sabha.
Listing out various welfare measures implemented by the DMK government, he said the existing "Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai" (monthly financial assistance for women) will be doubled to Rs 2,000 if DMK was voted to power again.
The deputy chief minister charged that the BJP and AIADMK have tried to stall it by moving the court. "At present more than 1.3 crore women have benefited from the scheme", he said.
"Similarly, the breakfast scheme for the government school students will be extended till Class VIII", he said adding "more than 35 lakh college students across the state will be getting free laptops once the DMK government is formed".
Udhayanidhi also pointed out at the "Illatharasi" poll promise, providing Rs 8,000 worth of coupons to non-income tax paying women where they could buy or replace any household appliances of their choice.
Elections to 234 Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 23 and the results declared on May 4 following counting of polled votes.
