Maharashtra allocates Rs 50 crore for establishment of welfare board for auto, taxi drivers

A government resolution issued by the state home ministry on March 16 states that the state government will allot Rs 50 crore to the transport ministry to establish the board.

In addition to the establishment of a welfare board, drivers and their relatives can also avail benefits from extended schemes under the welfare board. Schemes such as health insurance, scholarships for the drivers’ children, and financial insurance up to Rs 50,000 will be listed under the welfare board.

The decision came after the cabinet meeting held on March 16, where government officials decided to form a board at two levels, one at the state level and another at the district level. The transport minister will head the state welfare board with a transport commissioner as an official member and two unofficial members from registered driver unions. An additional transport commissioner will serve as the member secretary of the board.

District-level welfare boards will be chaired by the district collector, with the Deputy Commissioner of Police traffic and RTO as members and the Additional Regional Transport Officer as the member secretary.

Baba Kamble, a driver union activist who has participated in various agitations to press the demand for the establishment of a welfare board, expressed his gratitude to the government and said that he and drivers’ union across the state welcomed the decision.

“We have been advocating for this for the past 20 years. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other ministers were urged to launch a welfare board for auto, rickshaw, and taxi drivers. Our efforts have paid off. Twenty lakh auto, rickshaw, and taxi drivers will benefit from this initiative, receiving social security and other essential facilities. We welcome this decision of the state government,” he said.