Pune: Govt would roll out pink electric autorickshaw scheme to support economically disadvantaged women in key cities of Maharashtra by Sept-end, state women and child development minister Aditi Tatkare told TOI on Wednesday. In the first phase, the scheme would be open for 10,000 beneficiaries in 16 cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Thane, Nashik and Nagpur. "We issued a revised GR (govt resolution) last Friday after altering the age group of the beneficiaries (to 20-40 years).
The scheme will be rolled out by month-end in key cities. We expect 10,000 beneficiaries in the first phase. The expected cost of these autorickshaws is Rs 4 lakh per unit, of which state govt will bear 20%, while 10% will be borne by the beneficiaries and 70% of the cost will come from bank loans.
Govt will appoint an agency to help procure loans for the beneficiaries from the specified banks," the minister said. Women and child development department officials said govt would allocate around Rs 80 crore as a subsidy for the scheme. "The subsidy will be around Rs 80,000 per autorickshaw in the first phase," an official said, adding that the department had proposed e-rickshaws under the scheme as they were environment-friendly and need less maintenance.
The appointed agency would train the women beneficiaries and also ensure that they were issued the licence after due process through the RTO. State women and child development commissioner Dr Prashant Narnaware told TOI that they would implement the revised GR. On the selection process of the beneficiaries, top officials from the department said they would decide on the process in the coming week as the selection would be at the district level.
Cities like Pune, Mumbai and Pimpri Chinchwad were part of the first phase, the officials added. Deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosale told TOI that they were expecting at least 1,500 women in the city to register in the first phase. "So far, there have been no applications from women.
The scheme is, however, good and ensure that the number of passenger e-rickshaws increases in the city," he said. Another official said the scheme beneficiaries would be required to have a valid driving licence and their annual family income shouldn't exceed Rs 3 lakh. "These e-rickshaws can only be operated by the beneficiaries.
If we find that someone else is operating them, action will be initiated against the beneficiary," the official said. Keshav Kshirsagar, the president of Bagtoy Rickshawaala Autorickshaw Union, said though the scheme was good, the women beneficiaries should be given CNG-run autorickshaws. "Pune lacks the infrastructure required for the operation of e-rickshaws.
There are very few charging points. Govt needs to rethink about it," he told TOI. KEY FEATURES OF THE SCHEME The state women and child welfare department issued a govt notification to distribute pink electric autorickshaws to support economically disadvantaged women aged 20-40 The pink rickshaws are set to be allocated across 16 key cities including Mumbai suburbs, Thane, Pune, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Solapur, Pimpri, Chinchwad, Amravati and Panvel The scheme was announced by state finance minister Ajit Pawar in the Budget 2024-25 Applicants must have a family income of less than Rs 3 lakh per year The procurement of e-auto is facilitated through partnerships with financial institutions and local vehicle providers The selection of beneficiaries will be the responsibility of the committees set by collectors of each district.
