Thiruvananthapuram: Women and transgender persons will be able to travel free of cost on ordinary Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses from June 15 under the state government's Indira Guarantee programme.

Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said the scheme will be implemented under the name 'Priyadarshini'.

The free travel facility will be available to all women and transgender persons, irrespective of age. It will apply to services operated by KSRTC's ordinary buses.

According to the Chief Minister, the scheme is expected to result in a monthly revenue loss of ₹65 crore to ₹70 crore for KSRTC. On an annual basis, the loss is estimated at around ₹800 crore.

Satheesan said the state government would fully compensate KSRTC for the revenue shortfall arising from the implementation of the scheme.

"The government is currently providing around ₹125 crore every month and about ₹1,500 crore annually to KSRTC, including pension-related support. The compensation for the free travel scheme will be provided in addition to this amount," he said.

The Chief Minister also said KSRTC would use the next six months to explore ways to improve its revenue generation and strengthen its financial position while implementing the free travel scheme.

The Chief Minister also conceded that there was a north-south divide in the availability of KSRTC buses in Kerala. Nonetheless, he said it was not as if there were no KSRTC services in places like Malappuram. "In Malappuram district, 28 per cent of the services are operated by KSRTC. KSRTC definitely has a presence though not as in Thiruvananthapuram," Satheesan said. 

He said even this north-south difference in KSRTC availability would also be closely monitored during the first phase. There had been talks about KSRTC renting private buses in areas with low KSRTC presence. The Chief Minister did not confirm whether the government thought on these lines. 

However, if the KSRTC could manage to improve its revenues in the next six months, such innovative solutions could be implemented so that the benefits of the Priyadarshini scheme is spread evenly across Kerala.

The free travel initiative was one of the key assurances under the Indira Guarantee programme announced by the government after its first Cabinet meeting.