K'taka women avail 2.27 bn free rides in govt buses in one year: Minister

Women in Karnataka have availed themselves of 227 crore free rides in government non-luxury buses under the 'Shakti' guarantee in the last one year, costing the state exchequer Rs 5,526.64 crore, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Tuesday. The Congress government, led by Siddaramaiah, launched the 'Shakti' scheme -- one of the five guarantees which the party had promised before the Assembly elections -- on June 11 last year. These promises are said to have yielded rich electoral dividends to the Congress, helping it dethrone the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government. As the government celebrates one year of 'Shakti' guarantee implementation, Reddy said in a statement that 226.95 women travelled free of cost in the government buses. Most such rides were accounted for by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses (BMTC-71.45 crore), followed by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC-69.5 crore). North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) an