19,200 beneficiaries selected for YSR Vahana Mitra in East Godavari

Kakinada: Social Welfare Minister Pinipe Viswarup said that YSR Vahana Mitra Scheme will benefit 19,200 auto and cab drivers in East Godavari. Viswarup along with District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy launched the YSR Vahana Mitra Scheme in the district at Ambedkar Bhavan here on Friday and handed over the eligibility certificates to beneficiaries.

Participating as a chief guest in the programme, Viswarup said the government had received 1,75,352 applications under the scheme, of which 1,73,102 were cleared. Among the sanctioned number, there were 1,56,804 auto drivers, 5,093 maxi drivers and 1,205 taxi drivers.

He said 19,200 beneficiaries were eligible out of 19,497 applied in the district. He criticised former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for not implementing any schemes in Andhra Pradesh for the welfare of people.

During padayatra in Eluru on May 14, 2018, he said the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has promised financial assistance for maintenance of autos to drivers. And after coming to power, he said Jagan has honoured it.

The minister said the annual allowance would be given to drivers to meet the insurance premium, licence fee and other recurring expenses. He said Rs 2,500 crore were sanctioned for implementation of YSR Rythu Bharosa Scheme in the budget, to be launched on October 15.

He said that Village and Ward Secretariat system has provided employment to over 4.5 lakh people. MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy exhorted the auto rikshaw and maxi cab drivers to follow the traffic rules and regulations strictly.

District Collector D Muralidhar Reddy said that volunteers will upload YSR Vahana Mitra applications on Secretariat premises and asked the beneficiaries to utilise this scheme. Deputy Transport Commissioner Ch Pratap, Mayor Sunkara Pavani, Corporator Lanke Hemalatha and MRO G K Tagore were present.