"Shakti" Scheme Confusion Creates Rift Between Passengers and Bus Staff
Belagavi: A common problem is causing arguments on buses in Belagavi. Recently, a woman on a bus going from Belagavi to Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) got into a fight with the conductor. She refused to pay for her ticket, saying she should travel for free under the government's Shakti scheme.
The conductor explained that the Shakti scheme doesn't work for buses that go more than 20 kilometers into another state. The woman was upset because she wasn't told this before she got on the bus.
This isn't just one incident. Many women in border areas are confused. They don't know that some buses going to other states aren't part of the free travel scheme. There are no signs on the buses to tell them this. So, women get on with little or no money, only to be asked to pay halfway through their trip, leading to problems for both passengers and bus staff.
The Shakti scheme, which started in 2023, lets women travel for free on regular government buses within Karnataka. But it specifically says it doesn't cover long trips into other states.
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