Free bus rides for women: PM lacks info on Metro finances, says Dy CM Shivakumar
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said Karnataka's Shakti scheme providing for free bus rides for women has not led to any revenue loss for the Bangalore Metro, and he was shocked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments.
“The Prime Minister lacks information on the Shakthi scheme and hence he has said that the scheme has impacted revenues of Bengaluru metro. Namma metro has earned a revenue of Rs 130 crore in the last one year. Footfalls too have gone up by 30% for the same period. Bengaluru metro is limited to Bengaluru, while Shakthi scheme has been rolled out across the State," he told the media in Bengaluru.
The Dy CM was questioning the PM's assessment of metro finances. The PM, in a recent interview, had questioned the freebies that potentially create a crisis of funds for a state government. The governments, he said, would build metro networks in a city, but later promise free bus rides in the same city to win elections. This meant taking away 50% of passengers.
The Shakthi scheme has been rolled out by the Congress government to ease the burden of price rise and inflation on women. Metro is a joint initiative between the State and the Centre and it has done well over the last one year. Someone seems to have provided incorrect information to the Prime Minister, Shivakumar said.
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