By Kavita Mistry 
Last Updated:
The now-deleted post, shared on Thursday, claimed that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation had been recognised by the London Book of World Records for its achievements
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. (Image: PTI/File)
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Friday issued a clarification after a social media post from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s official X account touting two “world records” for the state’s Shakti scheme drew public scrutiny and was later taken down.
The now-deleted post, shared on Thursday, claimed that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) had been recognised by the London Book of World Records for its achievements.
Addressing the controversy, Minister Reddy said the Chief Minister’s post was removed “to avoid unnecessary distraction,” but maintained that the achievements highlighted were “factual and verifiable” regardless of third-party recognition.
He described the London Book of World Records as a private record-keeping firm that had previously acknowledged several Indian public figures and government bodies, including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Puducherry administration.
Reddy also pointed out that UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang had recently praised Karnataka’s guarantee schemes, including Shakti, for promoting gender equality and inclusive public services.
The X post cited two honours, one acknowledging KSRTC for receiving 464 national and international awards since 1997, and another recognising Karnataka for recording the highest number of free bus journeys for women under the Shakti scheme.
The certificates went viral before users on X flagged that the “London Book of World Records Ltd,” a UK-registered entity mentioned in the post, had been dissolved in July 2025, as per the UK’s Companies House records.
The post was soon labelled with a community note questioning the organisation’s legitimacy and was deleted within hours.
Reddy reiterated that KSRTC’s performance is “a matter of public pride.” The minister said the Shakti scheme — which offers free bus travel to women across the state — has enabled over 100 crore free rides in just over a year.
Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (Secular) mocked the state government over the controversy, claiming that the UK-based firm “literally sells Gold, Silver, and Platinum record packages.”
In a sarcastic post on X, the party wrote, “We thought only their surname was borrowed — now even their certificates are bought.”
October 17, 2025, 23:06 IST
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