Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah receives a garland made of free bus tickets

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah received a garland made of free bus tickets. The unique gesture was a way to express gratitude for free travel from a female student.

Published on: Apr 23, 2024, 13:30:09 IST

ANIPosted by Yamini C S

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday received a garland made of free bus tickets. The unique gesture was a way to express gratitude for free travel from a female law student.

A first-year law student from Arasikere presented a garland made from free bus tickets to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The student, MA Jayashree, offered the garland during an election campaign attended by CM Siddaramaiah.

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While presenting the garland, Jayashree said, "Thanks to the Congress government's free travel initiative, which you implemented as Chief Minister. I have been able to pursue my law studies without any financial strain. Therefore, I kept all the free tickets and made this garland."

She further expressed, "I have been waiting for months for an opportunity to present it to you. When I heard you were coming to Arasikere today, I ran here with the garland in one breath."

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After she expressed her gratitude to the CM, she received blessings from him.

Notably, women in the state of Karnataka have free travel services on non-premium services of the state-run Road Transport Corporations (RTCs). This benefit has been introduced under the Shakti scheme, launched by the Congress government in Karnataka on June 11, 2023. It is one of five poll guarantees made by the government.

The beneficiaries of the scheme are women and girls students who are eligible for free travel on government buses. Women can apply for a Shakti smart card by registering on the Seva Sindhu government portal.

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Earlier, the Chief Minister during the launch of the Shakti scheme explained that there are no middlemen to avail of these schemes and will reach the beneficiaries directly.

The Chief Minister released the logo of the Shakti scheme and smart card in pink colour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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