← 27 October 2026's Current Affairs · Karnataka KPSC Prelims ★★★★★ Mains ★★☆☆☆
Shakti scheme: free bus travel and women's mobility
खबर में क्यों?
Free rides, but not on every bus: what Karnataka's Shakti guarantee covers and excludes for GS2 welfare schemes
Free bus travel under Shakti has widened women's mobility in Karnataka.
Why it matters: asked in KPSC 2021; factual, Prelims-type; Karnataka-specific
What you need to know
2 मिनट
Commentary on free bus travel for women notes that it has given women greater mobility to reach work, education and healthcare.
Karnataka's Shakti scheme, launched in June 2023, offers women free travel in state-run non-luxury buses.
The scheme is one of the Congress government's five guarantees.
स्रोत: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
मुख्य तथ्य
Remember these
- Shakti scheme was launched in Karnataka in June 2023
- It offers women free travel in state-run non-luxury buses
- It is one of the Congress government's five guarantees
- Free travel has widened women's mobility for work, education and healthcare
- Luxury and air-conditioned buses are outside its scope
प्रीलिम्स · मेन्स
How the exam will ask it
प्रीलिम्स
- Statement: Karnataka's Shakti scheme offers women free travel in state-run non-luxury (ordinary and express) buses.
- Statement: Shakti is one of the five guarantees announced by the Congress government in Karnataka and was launched in June 2023.
- Statement: Luxury and air-conditioned buses and Namma Metro are not covered by the Shakti scheme.
मेन्स
GS2 (welfare schemes, women's empowerment): free bus travel raises women's access to work, education and healthcare, widening their mobility and economic participation. The scheme is a state-funded subsidy to the transport corporations, so its implications include fiscal burden, bus capacity and service quality. The way forward lies in sustainable financing, fleet expansion and monitoring outcomes such as women's workforce participation.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
"Utkarsh 2022", seen in news recently, refers to:
- A roadmap to double farmers' income by 2022
- A medium-term strategy framework of RBI for evolving macro-economic environment in the country
- A Railways project to develop rakes as part of upgradation of its mail/express trains
- NITI Aayog's strategy to build a New India by 2022
उत्तर देखें
उत्तर: B
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Karnataka's Shakti scheme provides women with free travel in:
- Air-conditioned luxury buses of the state transport corporations
- State-run non-luxury (ordinary and express) buses
- Namma Metro trains in Bengaluru
- Suburban trains operated by Indian Railways
उत्तर देखें
उत्तर: B — The correct answer is State-run non-luxury (ordinary and express) buses. The correct answer is state-run non-luxury buses. The scheme covers ordinary and express services of the state transport corporations but excludes luxury and air-conditioned buses and the metro.
Convert this topic into marks
Today's 10-MCQ test · instant analysis · Powered by AdaptIQ