<p>Bengaluru: The number of free bus rides under the Shakti scheme is set to cross the 500-crore mark on Monday. </p>.<p>Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his Deputy DK Shivakumar and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy will symbolically issue the 500th crore ticket on Monday. </p>.<p>As of Sunday evening, 499 crore tickets had been issued under the scheme. </p>.<p>Launched on June 11, 2023, the scheme accounts for 60-70% of all bus rides in the state. Daily ridership across the four Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) now stands at 1.1-1.3 crore. The scheme has so far cost the government Rs 12,600 crore. </p>.<p>Reddy said the scheme had "no parallel anywhere in the world". </p>.<p>The government has planned to introduce smartcards for beneficiaries. The proposal has been sent to the Finance Department for approval and will be placed before the cabinet, Reddy said. </p>.BBMP launches Rs 2.88-cr plan to feed chicken, rice to 5k stray dogs.<p>The smartcards are aimed at weeding out leakages — such as conductors issuing fake tickets to inflate numbers — and to streamline expenditure. The scheme has also overwhelmed city bus conductors, who are often at their wits' end to issue tickets to beneficiaries within the stipulated time. </p>.<p>These smartcards will be readable by the Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) used by bus conductors. They will contain beneficiary photos and domicile details. Beneficiaries can tap them on the ETM instead of presenting their ID. </p>.<p>When asked about extending the scheme to male students of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), Reddy said a formal proposal should be submitted first. </p>.<p>"We will analyse data on the number of students and the cost of their concessional passes. Based on that, we will submit a detailed proposal to the Finance Department. The cabinet will have to approve it," he told <span class="italic"><em>DH</em></span>. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: The number of free bus rides under the Shakti scheme is set to cross the 500-crore mark on Monday. </p>.<p>Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his Deputy DK Shivakumar and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy will symbolically issue the 500th crore ticket on Monday. </p>.<p>As of Sunday evening, 499 crore tickets had been issued under the scheme. </p>.<p>Launched on June 11, 2023, the scheme accounts for 60-70% of all bus rides in the state. Daily ridership across the four Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) now stands at 1.1-1.3 crore. The scheme has so far cost the government Rs 12,600 crore. </p>.<p>Reddy said the scheme had "no parallel anywhere in the world". </p>.<p>The government has planned to introduce smartcards for beneficiaries. The proposal has been sent to the Finance Department for approval and will be placed before the cabinet, Reddy said. </p>.BBMP launches Rs 2.88-cr plan to feed chicken, rice to 5k stray dogs.<p>The smartcards are aimed at weeding out leakages — such as conductors issuing fake tickets to inflate numbers — and to streamline expenditure. The scheme has also overwhelmed city bus conductors, who are often at their wits' end to issue tickets to beneficiaries within the stipulated time. </p>.<p>These smartcards will be readable by the Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) used by bus conductors. They will contain beneficiary photos and domicile details. Beneficiaries can tap them on the ETM instead of presenting their ID. </p>.<p>When asked about extending the scheme to male students of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), Reddy said a formal proposal should be submitted first. </p>.<p>"We will analyse data on the number of students and the cost of their concessional passes. Based on that, we will submit a detailed proposal to the Finance Department. The cabinet will have to approve it," he told <span class="italic"><em>DH</em></span>. </p>
