After the Karnataka government decided to levy a fee of ₹14.16 for the issuance of Shakti smart cards, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that they are currently in talks to eliminate registration fees, with the government covering the associated charges of issuing the smart cards.
On Monday, the State government issued an order announcing that in addition to applying for smart cards on the Seva Sindhu portal, beneficiaries can apply for them via citizen service centres like Bangalore One, Grama One, Karnataka One, and Bapuji Seva Kendra soon.
The government has fixed a fee structure of ₹10 for the application and ₹2 for the issuance letter, resulting in a total cost of ₹14.16, inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Reddy said: “The government has set the registration fees for Shakti smart cards at ₹14.16. However, considering the scheme’s free and welfare nature, we are in the process of requesting the government to waive the registration charges for women passengers and cover it through the government itself.”
As per the government’s directive, the issuance of Shakti smart cards for women passengers will be held across the State for the next six months. But road transport corporations’ (RTCs) officials said that the date of commencing the registration is yet to be finalised.
On June 11, the newly-elected Congress government in Karnataka launched the first among five poll guarantees - the Shakti scheme - under which women can travel for free in non-premium services of State-run buses across the State. Since its launch, the scheme has garnered positive reception; from the day of its launch until Monday, 57.42 crore women passengers have utilised the initiative to travel across the State. The cumulative value of tickets purchased by these women passengers amounts to ₹13,36,01,30,460.
Earlier, the Centre for e-Governance (CeG), which was originally approached to create smart cards for RTCs, rejected the proposal. Consequently, RTCs were chosen to implement passes for the Shakti scheme similar to regular bus passes. Ambiguity persists in this matter as well. Although the government order specifies the issuance of smart cards, Mr. Reddy has indicated that the decision on whether to issue smart cards or regular bus passes will be made after the registration process is completed.
The government had said that to avail themselves of Shakti, women must apply on the official portal of the scheme by providing a valid ID card issued by the government as proof of identity. Subsequently, RTCs were slated to dispense Shakti smart cards, employing a ‘tap-and-travel’ technology approach. This innovative method entails tapping the smart cards on conductors’ ticketing machines.
