Karnataka transport bodies seek full reimbursement under Shakti scheme after govt releases only Rs 125 crore
According to sources in the transport department, the corporations are holding discussions with the government to release the full amount to pay employees’ salaries and cover maintenance charges and fuel costs among other expenditures.
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According to sources in the transport department, the corporations are holding discussions with the government to release the full amount to pay employees’ salaries and cover maintenance charges and fuel costs among other expenditures. (File) Amid financial constraints across the four road transport corporations (RTCs) of Karnataka, the bodies have requested the state government to release the full amount of Rs 250 crore sought by them. This comes after the Karnataka government released only Rs 125 crore under the Shakti Scheme for the period between June 11 and June 30.
According to sources in the transport department, the corporations are holding discussions with the government to release the full amount to pay employees’ salaries and cover maintenance charges and fuel costs among other expenditures.
The transport department is confident that the government will soon release the funds after reviewing the revenue details of the RTCs. The finance department has agreed to release Rs 47 crore to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Rs 21 crore to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Rs 32 crore to the North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) and Rs 23 crore to the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) on an ad-hoc basis.
Days after the Budget in June, all the four RTCs had submitted their cumulative claim of Rs 250.96 crore to the finance department to compensate for the cost incurred for free travel under the Shakti scheme between June 11 and June 30.
In the said period, the KSRTC incurred a cost of Rs 94 crore, the BMTC incurred Rs 43 crore, the NWKRTC has submitted claims for Rs 65 crore and the KKRTC has sought compensation of Rs 47 crore. A total of 10.4 crore beneficiaries have been recorded during the said period, with a daily average of 52 lakh women availing the benefit of the Shakti Scheme. Meanwhile, the average cost incurred by all the four RTCs in a day is over Rs 12 crore.
A transport official speaking to indianexpress.com said, “We sought complete reimbursement of the cost incurred by the RTCs because of the Shakti Scheme even for July. The government has also sought additional information from the RTCs on the revenue modalities. This initial approval to release Rs 125 crore is just a reconciliation. However, the government has not rejected our claims.”
Meanwhile, from June 11 to August 2, a total of 31 crore women benefited from the scheme. The total cost incurred by the RTCs is Rs 734 crore.
Shakti scheme – a free bus travel scheme for women — is one of the five major poll guarantees of the Congress, for which the Siddaramaiah government has earmarked Rs 2,800 crore for the current year. Notably, the government has provided a total outlay of Rs 4,000 crore annually. Under the scheme, the RTCs issue ‘zero sum tickets’ to women passengers in government buses. Based on these tickets, the corporations calculate the ticket value of the total distance travelled by the woman and submit the claims to the government for reimbursement.
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