Organised - unorganised 'bias': Why not free bus pass for all women?

40% is borne by factory owners, 40% by the labour dept and the rest 20% by BMTC Prathibha R, Workers union member

Rachana Ramesh | NT

Bengaluru: Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai announced a free bus pass facility for 30 lakh working women in the organised sector, allocating Rs 1,000 crore for the purpose in the State Budget recently. With the scheme not incorporating women employed in the unorganised sector, many have questioned the viability of the initiative.

The state government had earlier proposed a similar scheme to provide free bus passes to workers in the garment industry comprising a large number of women. As per the scheme, launched in December 2021, factory owners were to bear 40 percent of the cost. Prathibha R of the Garments and Textile Workers Union said that the factories were not mandated by the government to bear the cost and hence, they refused to provide extra assistance.  

“We would have to make a list of women who need the passes, get it approved by the factory management and then approach the labour department,” she said. Another 40 per cent of the cost is to be borne by the labour department and the rest 20 per cent by the BMTC,” Prathibha pointed out.

Prathiba further noted that only about 5 percent of garment workers use BMTC buses as they cannot afford the fare, making them move to neighbourhoods closer to their workplace or find other alternatives like cycles in lieu of buses. She added that women in the unorganised sector are in much more need of bus passes. “The unorganised sector is where most women work. Women make up barely 15 per cent of the labour force in Karnataka.

This does not mean that the rest of the women do not work. A lot of them are employed in the unorganised sector – as domestic help, working at small tailoring units or as vendors who make and sell things. If their participation is taken into account the estimates will nearly double, ”Tara Krishnaswamy, Co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru explained.

She added that these women in the unorganised sector are in need of bus passes as they do not earn enough to afford to commute by bus. “Working women in India are already burdened with chores – both professional and domestic. This is a system that is inherently flawed and lacks cohesive thinking,” she said.

Tara noted that conditional welfare schemes like this one are rarely successful. “By making it free for all women, you make it completely free of checks. There is no standing in line or issuing of passes. This way, they can boost the female labour participation rate, both in the formal and informal sector,” she said.

Mamata Yajman, a part of the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) and Gamana Mahila Samuha said that the idea of free rides to all women is not far-fetched as Punjab and Tamil Nadu among other places have introduced travel schemes for women using public transport. “It must be embarrassing for the Karnataka government that they have not implemented it yet,” she said.