When policy starts with women: The Karnataka example | Let Me Explain 100 | Pooja Prasanna

When the Karnataka government rolled out its five guarantees, the reactions were… mixed.

Some called it historic welfare, a government finally putting women at the heart of policymaking.

Others dismissed it as populism or “freebies,” even terming it financial recklessness.

But between these criticisms lie the real story. One that’s unfolding quietly across Karnataka’s towns and cities, in bus stops, kitchens, and classrooms.

And as we mark 100 episodes of Let Me Explain, that’s what we want to talk about — the power of intention in public policy.

What happens when governments centre women in design, not as an afterthought, but as a starting point?

What happens when freedom, dignity, and equality are not slogans, but measurable outcomes?

To try and answer that question, this week, we’re in Karnataka, where these guarantees are already reshaping lives.

Next week, we’re heading to Tamil Nadu, to look at another model of gender-focused welfare.

But first, let’s talk about what happens when you design welfare intentionally.

Let me explain.

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When the five guarantees were announced in Karnataka, it was one of the boldest welfare promises any state had made in recent years.

Anna Bhagya promised food security.

Gruha Lakshmi provided Rs 2,000 monthly income for women heads of households.

Gruha Jyoti offered free electricity up to 200 units.

Yuva Nidhi gave unemployment support to young graduates and diploma holders.

And Shakti, the most visible of them all, made bus travel free for women across Karnataka.

The goal was simple. Relieve the everyday costs that hold back people, especially women.

But soon came the pushback. Would this bankrupt the state? Would people stop working? Would this make people lazy? Would it become another “revdi” culture?

Two major studies — and thousands of women — are answering those questions.

The first study, by Azim Premji University, looked at over 2.7 crore BMTC bus trips between 2023 and 2025.

They found that after the Shakti scheme began, women’s daily ridership increased by 151%.

Before the scheme, women made up 40% of passengers. Now, they make up 62%.

That’s not a seasonal spike, it’s a structural shift.

Women didn’t just travel more often. They travelled farther, to more parts of the city, and for more reasons including work, education, healthcare, and leisure.

In central Bengaluru — Majestic, KR Market, and Shivajinagar regions — women now outnumber men on many routes.

And despite what critics feared, the finances held steady.

The researchers found that while subsidies slightly exceed revenue, the gap is narrow.

In other words, the buses didn’t break the system. They broadened who the system serves.

Most importantly, the study found something deeper. Women who had previously limited their movement due to cost now travel without hesitation.

For many, it’s the first time mobility feels like a right, not a privilege.

The second study zoomed out.

Led by public policy expert Tara Krishnaswamy, with Lokniti-CSDS, Bangalore University, Tumkur University, and Indus Action, it surveyed 6,300 women across 15 districts.

According to the study’s findings, nearly nine in ten women said their finances improved.

84% said their household stress reduced.

91% used the money for better food.

85% for healthcare.

And 93% said they now have a greater say in family decisions.

Two-thirds said they now travel independently.

And one in five said Shakti directly helped them find new or better jobs.

In short, the schemes didn’t just reduce poverty, they expanded possibilities.

And here’s what that looks like in real life.

Now of course, not everything works smoothly. Both studies found delivery gaps and uneven coverage.

In Tumkuru and Mandya, results are strong. In Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, and Kalaburgi, they’re weaker.

Some women reported delays in Gruha Lakshmi payments, confusion over Gruha Jyoti bills, or crowding on buses.

And migrant women, who are among the most mobility-constrained groups, are still excluded from Shakti.

And in our ground reports, we heard complaints that many BPL families are being excluded from the PDS system so the shops meet the supply. 

Those have to be fixed.

But what also matters is that these schemes have shifted the baseline. They’ve made women visible in data, in travel, and in decision-making.

The bigger question now is, what does this tell us about welfare itself?

For decades, India’s welfare debate has been stuck in the “freebie” trap.

We talk about debt and deficits, but rarely about what inequality costs us.

Because inequality is expensive. It limits growth, innovation, and participation.

Karnataka’s data shows that when you give women access to mobility, to income, and to power, they don’t just consume. They contribute.

After the Shakti scheme launched, Karnataka’s GST collections rose, as more women entered the workforce and spent locally.

In other words, welfare didn’t slow the economy. It helped drive it.

So maybe the lesson here is this.

When you design welfare intentionally, not as charity but as infrastructure, you build a stronger, more inclusive society.

Mobility, electricity, and food aren’t luxuries. They’re what make equality possible.

Karnataka’s five guarantees show that gender-sensitive welfare isn’t a cost to be endured.

It’s an investment in people, in their productivity and their dignity.

And if this is what happens when you design policy with women in mind, imagine what could happen when the same intention is applied to every part of governance.

Because every woman who boards a BMTC bus, pays her own electricity bill, or uses her cash transfer to buy food or medicine — she’s not just using a welfare scheme. She’s rewriting what citizenship looks like.

Before I go, on behalf of my entire team, thank you for showing us that honest, independent journalism still has value.

And we want to keep doing this. 

So if you believe in what we do, please, keep supporting us. Because without you, none of this would be possible.

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya, Camera by Ajay R, Graphics by Dharini Prabharan, Edited by Nikhil Sekhar