Ramalinga Reddy refutes DK Shivakumar’s statement on changes to Shakthi Scheme

BM Team

Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy refuted Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s statement on possible changes to Karnataka’s Shakthi Scheme .

Ramalinga Reddy said that there are no changes in the Shakthi Scheme and women across state will continue to travel free without fares until the government lasts .

He said ‘’ May be couple of women commuters would have mailed or messaged Deputy Chief Minister of their willingness to pay fares . Opinions of just a mere few ladies doesn’t count . Those criticising the scheme are the ones who travel in Mercedes Benz. Our government is committed towards the welfare of women and we abide the schemes . ‘’

H D Kumaraswamy, taking advantage of the situation, spoke to reporters in channapatna saying the Congress government has shown its true colours and they have no money to run the government. This confusion amongst the government may also have an impact on the by elections in Channapatna.

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on October 30th hinted at possible changes to the Shakthi scheme, one of his government’s schemes providing free bus travel for women across the state. Shivakumar said that a portion of women commuters indicated they had a preference to pay for their tickets, despite the scheme’s intent to ease travel costs. 

“Many women have been reaching out on social media and through emails, expressing that they would prefer to pay for their tickets,” he shared during a press interaction on Wednesday, October 30, after launching KSRTC’s new Airavata Club Class 2.0 buses.