Delhi government is going to take a big step towards economically empowering the women and transgender community of the capital. ‘Durga E-Auto Scheme’ announced in the budget will be started soon. Under the scheme, eligible women and transgenders will be linked to self-employment by providing them e-autos. According to government sources, the draft of the scheme has been prepared and the process of its implementation has been expedited. A dedicated website is being developed in collaboration with National Informatics Center (NIC) to facilitate application and registration.
Under the scheme, e-autos will be provided to women in the age group of 20 to 40 years. Along with women, provision is being made to provide benefits of this scheme to the eunuch community also. The objective of the scheme is to promote self-employment and make women and eunuchs economically self-reliant. Comments and suggestions have been sought from various departments on the draft of the scheme. After receiving the opinion of all the departments, the proposal will be placed before the Cabinet for approval. The scheme will be formally implemented after getting cabinet approval. The government has decided that the allocation of e-autos will be done on ‘first come, first served’ basis. For this, eligible applicants will have to apply as per the prescribed procedure.
In the first phase of the scheme, e-autos will be provided to 1,000 women and 100 eunuchs living in Delhi. The color of these e-autos will be pink, so that they can be easily identified. The objective of the scheme is to provide self-employment to women and transgender community and to promote safe and environment-friendly public transport in the capital. The draft of the scheme has been prepared under the supervision of the Transport Minister of Delhi Government and the Transport Commissioner of Delhi. According to officials, after receiving comments from various departments on the draft, it will be presented before the Cabinet for approval.
There is also a provision in the scheme that the e-auto allotted to the beneficiary cannot be sold to any other person for 3 years. The government believes that with this the benefits of the scheme will reach the genuine beneficiaries and commercial use of the vehicle will be ensured. Apart from this, the government is also preparing to connect these women and transgender drivers with cab aggregators and ride-hailing platforms, so that they can easily get passengers and increase their income.
Potential eligibility for women
• The woman should be a resident of Delhi and should have a Voter ID card.
• The age of the woman should be between 20 to 40 years.
• Applicant must have a valid driving license and PV (Public Vehicle) badge.
• The auto rickshaw should not be already registered in the name of the woman or any member of her family.
• The annual income of the family should not exceed Rs 5 lakh in the financial year 2024-25.
Potential eligibility for eunuchs
• The applicant must have a Transgender/Kinnar Identity Certificate issued by the District Magistrate (DM).
• The age of the applicant should be between 20 to 40 years.
• It is mandatory for the applicant to have a valid driving license and PV (Public Vehicle) badge.
• The applicant should be a resident of Delhi and should have a Voter ID.
The objective of Delhi Government’s Mahila E-Auto Scheme is not only to provide employment but also to strengthen the safety of women. The government believes that women and girls traveling early in the morning or late at night will feel more safe and comfortable in an e-auto driven by a woman driver. Having female drivers will increase confidence among passengers and make public transport more women-friendly. Along with this, this initiative is also being considered an important step towards providing self-employment opportunities to women and transgender (Kinnar) community. Through the scheme, they will get an opportunity to directly connect with livelihood, become economically self-reliant and increase their participation in the public transport sector.
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