The Karnataka government on Thursday announced its decision to purchase 4,000 new buses and hire 13,000 staff members, which includes personnel, drivers, conductors and mechanics, in the transportation department. According to the information , the decision has been taken by the government keeping the implementation in mind of the Shakti scheme, which gives women free transportation on all government-owned buses throughout the southern state.The scheme was the part of Congress partys election manifesto last month.The five guarantees are Gruha Jyothi which will provide 200 units of free electricity to every household, Gurha Lakshmi under which every female head of household will get Rs 2000 monthly, Anna Bhagya which will provide 10 kg of rice to each person, Yuvanidhi dole of Rs 3000 and 1500 to unemployed graduates and diploma holders respectively, and Shakti which will allow the women to travel for free in public transport buses.Notably, the chief minister of Karnataka, Siddharamaiah during the assembly session said, “The KSRTCs income has increased ever since the Shakti scheme offering free travel to Karnataka women in non-luxury government buses started on June 11. The state government will bear the expenditure met by the KSRTC on Shakti scheme. ₹2,900 crore will be needed for the scheme in the next nine months, which we will give.”“We are going to recruit 13,000 drivers, conductors and mechanics in the KSRTC. We will purchase 4,000 new buses so that students and men are not affected by the Shakti scheme,” he added in the Assembly.
