Chief Minister Siddaramaiah received a delightful surprise when a first-year law student presented him with a garland crafted from free bus tickets. This act was a heartfelt expression of gratitude towards Siddaramaiah for implementing the ‘Shakti’ guarantee scheme, one of Congress’s pivotal pre-election promises.
Introduced last June, the scheme provides complimentary bus rides to women on non-luxury government buses across the state. Since its inception, it has facilitated 194.39 crore free rides, incurring a cost of Rs 4,673.56 crore to the state exchequer, according to Transport Department officials.
During an election rally attended by Siddaramaiah in Arsikere district on Monday evening, MA Jayashree presented the garland. In her presentation, Jayashree expressed, “You enabled my smooth pursuit of legal studies by granting me free bus rides.” She explained that she had collected these tickets over months, eagerly awaiting an opportunity to present them to him. She added, “When I heard of your visit to Arsikere today, I rushed here with the garland in hand.”
Siddaramaiah was deeply moved by the gesture, viewing it as a symbol of his government’s accomplishments. In a statement from his office, he interpreted it as “a garland of our government’s achievements.”
In a social media post, Siddaramaiah also took a subtle jab at critics of guarantee schemes, noting Jayashree’s aspiration “to complete her legal studies and serve society as a proficient lawyer, guiding those who wrongly blame girls for taking advantage of such schemes.”
Source: PTI
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