Since its inception on June 11, Karnataka's ambitious 'Shakti' initiative, a Congress party poll guarantee, has surpassed 100 crore rides for women. The project, which provides free bus transportation for women on non-premium buses inside the state, has received widespread support, altering the landscape of women's mobility.
According to data from four state-run Road Transport Corporations (RTCs), women passengers took an amazing 1,004,756,184 journeys between June 11 and November 22. During this time period, women made up 56.2 percent of the total 178.6 crore passengers who used the services of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC).
The BMTC has the most female passengers (32.69 crore), followed by the KSRTC (30.12 crore), the NWKRTC (23.37 crore), and the KKRTC (14.28 crore). The overall amount of Shakti plan tickets given reached Rs 2,397 crore, with KSRTC leading the way with Rs 900.2 crore.
Ramalinga Reddy, Minister of Transport, expressed delight in Shakti's achievement, highlighting its good influence on women's empowerment and increasing ridership across RTCs. However, the system has encountered difficulties, with overloaded buses prompting calls for extra services. Because of the scheme's popularity, private operators and auto-rickshaws have claimed lower earnings.
The state government earmarked Rs 2,800 crore in the 2023-24 budget for the Shakti plan, which aims to reimburse RTCs depending on the number of 'zero tickets' distributed monthly. The issuance of smart cards has been postponed until December 2023.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a proposal to purchase 5,675 buses for the four RTCs, including both diesel (3,404) and electric (2,271) vehicles, demonstrating the government's commitment to environmentally friendly and accessible transportation. The success of the Shakti project not only represents a watershed moment in women's mobility, but also highlights the plan's larger influence on tourism and economic development in Karnataka. The government intends to commemorate the occasion on November 24 at Vidhana Soudha.
