Free bus travel for women in Karnataka | How does Shakti scheme work?

The Fare-Free Public Transport (FFPT) has been adopted in many countries and by various States in India. Australia and certain pockets of the U.S., among others, experimented with the concept for many years.

On June 11, the newly-elected Congress government in Karnataka launched the first among five poll guarantees — Shakti scheme. In this scheme, women can travel for free in non-premium services of State-run buses across Karnataka.

The main purpose of this scheme is said to be to increase the work participation rate of women, and to promote public transportation in Karnataka.

The Congress announced the Shakti scheme in its manifesto for the Assembly elections in Karnataka, as part of five guarantees. The Shakti scheme, and the other guarantees, are believed to have helped the Congress win a comfortable majority in the elections, and form the government in Karnataka.

At the first meeting of the Cabinet of the newly-formed government in Karnataka on May 20, a decision was taken to implement the 5 guarantees promised to voters in the poll manifesto of the Congress party.

In the following cabinet meeting on June 2, the cabinet decided to implement all five guarantees during this financial year, starting with the Shakti scheme on June 11.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the scheme would benefit 50% of the population. “The Shakti scheme has brought relief to women of the State who are in distress due to price hike and inflation,” he had said. While launching the scheme, Mr Siddaramaiah had said that in India, women’s participation in the workforce is shrinking, and promoting free bus travel scheme would empower more women to join the workforce.

What are the contours of Shakti scheme?