Shakti scheme: Karnataka govt owes over Rs 1,400 crore to road transport corporations

Bengaluru: The implementation of the ‘Shakti’ guarantee scheme, wherein women can avail of free travel on board buses, has resulted in the Karnataka government running up dues to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore, which it owes to the various state-run road transport corporations (RTCs). 

Responding to a query by BJP MLC Bharati Shetty, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy pointed to the surge in the number of commuters using state-run buses following the rollout of the Shakti scheme. He said that, barring the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the other state-run transport agencies were profitable. 

‘Fare not hiked for years’

“We have not increased the ticket fare for the past four to 10 years. Meanwhile, expenses, in the form of salaries, cost of fuel,
maintenance, keep mounting, as a result of which, some corporations are not profitable,” Reddy informed the council. 

The Transport Minister sought to draw the attention of the House to the fact that revenues of some of the transport corporations had registered an uptick in the aftermath of the implementation of the ‘Shakti’ scheme.

“Earlier, some of them were in no condition to pay salaries to their staff. As of June 2024, the state government has disbursed Rs 4,453 crore towards the implementation of Shakti scheme, and the amount pending is around Rs 1,413.47 crore,” Reddy added.

He said that the state government had, nevertheless, had made an allocation of Rs 5,015 crore for the Shakti scheme for the current year.

Reddy said that he had intimated the Chief Minister about the shortfall in funds for the scheme, and expressed hope of the government being able to address the problem very soon.