Karnataka govt left red-faced over 'fake' world record certificate for Shakti bus scheme, CM deletes tweet

Two certificates for ‘Most award-winning road transport corporation - KSRTC Karnataka’ and ‘Highest number of women free travel tickets availed in Karnataka’ were shared.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has been left red-faced as netizens continue to raise questions about the credibility of certificates claiming ‘world records’ for the highest number of women availing themselves of free travel tickets under the Shakti scheme and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) as the most award-winning road transport corporation.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s post on the social media platform X kicked off the controversy on Friday, as he wrote, “Karnataka enters the global stage with two historic world records - certified by the London Book of World Records. Shakti Scheme: Largest number of free bus rides availed by women - 564.10 crore journeys, empowering everyday mobility. KSRTC: Most award-winning road transport corporation in the world - 464 national & international honours since 1997.

"Our governance vision is rooted in social justice, women's empowerment, and world-class public service. These recognitions are a reflection of what inclusive and compassionate policymaking can achieve."

He attached photos of two certificates for ‘Most award-winning road transport corporation - KSRTC Karnataka’ and ‘Highest number of women free travel tickets availed in Karnataka’.

Under the post, the Community Notes, a fact-checking tool on X, said, "London Book of World Records is a private limited company in the UK. The company was dissolved as of July 15, 2025, according to UK Companies House. This does not appear authentic."

The post by the CM has since been taken down.

The certificate shared by the CM was a draft copy that wasn’t meant for the public, as per a KSRTC source. In the recent past, the state government has also shared similar certificates from 'The Golden Book of World Records' and 'The International Book of Records'.

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were quick to point out that in addition to the grammatical and spelling errors in the certificate, the company had been dissolved in 2025. “The page is now being run from Chuna Mandi, Paharganj, Delhi — under the name, London Book of World Records. Only the Congress could fall for this level of scam within a scam," wrote BJP’s National Information and Technology Department In-Charge Amit Malviya on X.

The KSRTC has since clarified that the London Book of World Records Limited has shared its incorporation certificate and is registered under the Companies Act of 2006 in the United Kingdom.

“For any world record for this kind, the company does not reach out to you. We have to reach out to them, and that is what we did. Similarly, we had reached out to various other world record organisations. We share the required data and the organisations then verify it before issuing the world record,” a KSRTC spokesperson told DH.

However, a quick scan of the official website of the London Book of World Records revealed a few inconsistencies, including a dubious phone number ‘1234-56789’. The other available contact on the website did not return DH’s calls. In addition to the office in New Delhi, the website claims to have branches in the US and the UK.

The website also has photos of other Indian politicians, such as Eknath Shinde, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, received a world record certificate.

BJP only wants to be in the news: Transport minister

Calling the BJP out on the online trolling, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “The BJP does not have a positive attitude. They need to be in the news at all times. That is their mentality, and they achieve this by sowing seeds of poison in the minds of the public.”

He added that the KSRTC has entered the world record as the public road transport organisation with the most awards for the period between 1997 and 2005. “This includes the awards received during the BJP regime and the regime of their allies, the JDS. So what are they suspecting? Are they doubting their own credibility? Find out if the awards received during your tenure are included in the record. It is not limited to our tenure only. I would suggest that they learn to read and comprehend before tweeting. Don't lose your dignity by magnifying a tweet you don’t have context about,” he said.