Karnataka's Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy will hold a high-level meeting on Monday to take a call on the implementation of free bus travel for women, one the five major poll promises of the Congress.
The new Congress government's Shakti initiative attempts to promote gender equality and empower women by providing free public transportation bus ride to women. Since, Ramalinga Reddy is holding the portfolio of tranportation ministry, he will be taking the responsibility of implementing this promise.
Speaking to reporters, Reddy stated that the government will have to pay money for the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in this regard to recover the losses.
"I am holding a high level meeting on Monday and all decisions in this regard will be taken," Reddy said. "We will ensure the opposition does not raise the matter anymore. The cabinet decision is final. As for the Gruha Laxmi scheme where women heads would be given Rs 2,000 per month, some have accounts and many don't. The accounts have to be opened for them," the Minister maintained.
Refuting BJP complaints on the delay to implement poll promises, he said, "The BJP Prime Minister had promised to transfer Rs 15 lakh for all accounts and create two crore jobs every year. Let them fulfil those promises first."
Apart from the Shakti promise, the other four guarantees include the Gruha Jyoti scheme, under which the Congress government plans to offer 200 units of free power supply to every household. As energy minister, senior minister k.J George will be pondering the implementation of this promise, which many voters have been pressing for.
The Gruha Lakshmi plan project aims to provide women with a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000. Laxmi R. Hebbalkar as minister of women and child development will be responsible to implement this promise.
The Anna Bhagya programme seeks to provide 10 kg of rice free of charge to every member of a below-poverty-line (BPL) household. Minister for food and Civil Supplies K.H. Muniyappa will be pondering the implementation in coordination with other welfare ministries involved.
In addition, the government intends to implement the Yuva Nidhi scheme, which provides unemployed graduates with Rs 3,000 per month for two years and unemployed diploma holders with Rs 1,500 per month.
It is expected that either youth services minister B. Nagendra or Santosh S. Lad, the minister for labour will be making the first move with other ministries in implementing this promise.
