Photo: Office of Chief Minister Delhi / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday launched an online portal for the DURGA e-auto scheme, opening applications for women and transgender persons to own and drive electric autorickshaws for a livelihood. The government has earmarked 1,300 pink e-autos in the first phase, according to an official release from the Chief Minister’s Office.
How the first phase is carved up
Of the 1,300 vehicles, 1,170 are reserved for women and 130 for transgender persons. Each of Delhi’s 13 revenue districts has a ceiling of 90 e-autos for women and 10 for transgender applicants, so that allotments are spread across the city rather than concentrated in a few areas.
Officials said the city already caps the total number of passenger autorickshaws at one lakh, and the scheme carves out a portion of that quota for the two groups. Eligible applicants who clear the conditions are to receive a Letter of Intent from the Transport Department so they can own and operate an autorickshaw.
Who can apply
Women applicants must be Delhi residents aged between 20 and 40, hold a valid light motor vehicle driving licence and a public service vehicle (PSV) badge, and have an annual family income of no more than ₹5 lakh. The scheme also applies the prescribed condition relating to a maximum of three living children. Transgender applicants must meet the same age and residency requirements and hold a valid driving licence and PSV badge.
The full form of the scheme is Driving, Upliftment and Rozgar for Women/Transgender E-Auto. Applications will remain open for three months. If eligible applications in a district exceed its quota when the window closes, allotments will be decided through an online lottery, the Chief Minister said.
What the government has not yet spelled out
The Cabinet had approved the scheme the previous week. At the portal launch at the Delhi Secretariat, Ms Gupta said economic empowerment of women and transgender persons, and safer transport access for them, were among her government’s priorities.
The DURGA scheme is an important step in this direction, enabling women and transgender persons to own and drive pink electric autos and gain opportunities for dignified self-employment and financial independence.
Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister of Delhi
The government has not yet announced the purchase cost of the e-autos or any financial assistance to help beneficiaries buy them. Applicants will need those details before many can convert a Letter of Intent into an actual vehicle on the road. The portal is meant to be the first concrete step: a single digital window through which eligible residents can seek a share of the pink e-auto quota while the city keeps the overall auto fleet under its existing one-lakh cap.
