Free bus passes for all students

Government plans to set up 10,000 Youth Associations across Panchayats and Urban Wards

Bengaluru, June 4 (UNI)- In a major welfare push, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar yesterday announced that all students across the State will be issued free bus passes, in one of the most expansive mobility support measures for the education sector.
Addressing a press conference after the first Cabinet meeting, Shivakumar said that the benefit would cover students enrolled in PUC, degree colleges, postgraduate courses and other educational institutions, subject to identity verification through applications.
“The aim is to ensure that no student is deprived of education due to travel costs,” he said, adding that the initiative is intended to ease the financial burden on families and improve access to education.
The move is being viewed as a flagship welfare measure with potential Statewide impact, particularly in both urban and rural regions where commuting costs often act as a barrier to higher education.
Shivakumar also outlined a broader governance plan, including filling 56,000 Government vacancies through a structured recruitment calendar to be released shortly, aimed at ensuring transparency and predictability in the hiring process.
He said, the Government would also introduce a large-scale employment facilitation system by integrating public and private job markets, along with skill-matching mechanisms to boost youth employability.
In another initiative, the Government plans to set up 10,000 Youth Associations across Panchayats and Urban Wards. Each unit will receive Rs. 10 lakh to promote sports, cultural activities, leadership development and social cohesion.
On urban infrastructure, Shivakumar said, Rs. 2,000 crore would be allocated for road development in Bengaluru under the Greater Bengaluru Authority framework to address civic infrastructure gaps over the coming months.
Describing the decisions as “people-centric and future-oriented,” Shivakumar said that the Government would focus on farmers, youth and urban development, while ensuring collective decision-making in governance.