Confusion over Shakti scheme creates a rift between female passengers and bus staff
Belagavi: A woman started shouting at the conductor in a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus, travelling from Belagavi to Ratnagiri recently, after he asked her to pay for her ticket.
She refused to pay, claiming that she was entitled to free travel under the state govt's Shakti yojane. The incident took place after the bus moved around 10 km from the Belagavi Central Bus Stand.
The woman, who intended to travel to Nippani—a town near the Karnataka-Maharashtra border—presented her Aadhaar card to claim the scheme's benefit. However, the conductor informed her that the Shakti scheme does not apply to interstate routes extending more than 20 km into neighbouring states.
Upset over this, the woman questioned him why this wasn't communicated to her before boarding the bus.
This isn't an isolated incident. Thousands of women commuting in border areas face similar confusion. A majority of people aren't aware that some of the interstate buses are ineligible for the govt scheme. Moreover, there is no signage indicating that the Shakti scheme doesn't apply to the bus. The absence of a clear identification system for eligible buses and the lack of prior intimation have led to recurring disputes and inconveniences, especially in regions like Belagavi, where interstate travel is frequent.
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This has been creating a lot of confusion and outrage among passengers, as conductors ask them to pay for tickets halfway through the journey. Unaware of the issue, many women who board the bus with less money or no money face big trouble.
Introduced in 2023, the Shakti scheme allows women to travel free of cost in non-premium govt buses within the state. However, the scheme explicitly excludes interstate services covering distances beyond 20 km outside Karnataka.
Speaking to the TOI, KSRTC Belagavi divisional controller Rajesh Huddar confirmed the policy constraints. "Shakti scheme does not apply to long-route interstate buses, including those headed to Pune, Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Nasik etc. We have around 25 such buses travelling to neighbouring Maharashtra and Telangana. Unfortunately, there is no established mechanism to alert passengers in advance," he said.
Admitting the growing seriousness of the issue, Huddar said KSRTC is considering measures to avoid such confusion in the future. Meanwhile, women passengers from border districts continue to demand a transparent and passenger-friendly mechanism to identify scheme-eligible buses. "The matter is being taken seriously. We're exploring options to improve visibility and clarity around eligible routes," the officer said.
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