Students to get refund on bus passes as Karnataka launches free bus pass scheme

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh on Thursday announced that students who have already purchased bus passes would receive a full refund, as the State is set to roll out a scheme offering free bus passes to all students. The Minister said that until now, free buses were limited to girl students under Shakti scheme. However, under the leadership of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the Congress government has decided to extend the scheme to boys as well. “Guidelines for the scheme have been finalised and will be released shortly. Students will be able to apply for the free bus passes at Karnataka One and Bengaluru One centres within the next few days. Following verification of applications, the distribution process will begin,” Mr. Suresh said.