Saralnama
More than two years after Karnataka's Shakti Scheme launch, smart cards for women beneficiaries remain undistributed due to incompatible electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) across the state's four road transport corporations. While KSRTC has upgraded its ETMs, other corporations are yet to complete this process. Introduced in June 2023, the scheme allows women, including transgender persons and students, free travel on non-premium state-run buses and has recorded over 516.95 crore trips by July 2025. Currently, passengers use government-issued ID cards to avail free travel. The Transport Department and Centre for e-Governance developed smart cards with tap-and-travel technology, but rollout awaits uniform ETM adoption. A Technical Advisory Panel meeting in August 2024 identified ETM incompatibility as the main hurdle. The Transport Minister stated that after cabinet approval, smart cards will be issued promptly. Officials note that smart cards will improve boarding efficiency and enable accurate data collection for transport planning. A recent study found the scheme increased women's employment by 23% in Bengaluru and 21% in Hubballi-Dharwad. (Updated 25 Aug 2025, 12:29 IST; source: link)