The day after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar suggested that the Shakti scheme, which gives free bus travel to women, might be reconsidered, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah clarified on Thursday that there are no plans to review or change any of the government’s guaranteed schemes. Siddaramaiah said, “There is no proposal on this at the government level. I’ll talk to Shivakumar about it,” also mentioning that he hadn’t heard Shivakumar’s comment that some passengers want to pay for their bus travel.
Shivakumar: Some women willing to pay; no change to the Shakti scheme
Shivakumar had earlier said that a small number of women, about 5% to 10%, had reached out to him through social media and emails, saying they were willing to pay for their bus tickets. “Conductors are not accepting bus fares even when offered,” Shivakumar said, mentioning that he plans to talk about this with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. However, he stressed that he wasn’t suggesting a review of the scheme and that his words had been misunderstood. “Some financially stable women and companies giving travel allowances have said they don’t need the Shakti scheme,” he clarified.
This discussion is happening as there are reports of pressure within the Congress government to rethink some schemes after their results in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Some Congress MLAs have suggested adjusting the guarantee schemes so that extra money could be used for development projects. Senior Congress MLA Raju Kage also criticised the government, saying it hasn’t done enough to support farmers.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that most of the people who disagree with the scheme are those who are financially well off. However, he pointed out that the scheme is helpful to a large part of society. He also mentioned that he has received requests from senior citizens asking for free travel.
In Channapatna, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy claimed that the government is planning to reduce or cut back on all its promised schemes. He mentioned the Anna Bhagya scheme as an example, saying that restrictions have been added and the amount of rice provided has reportedly been reduced.