Pune corporation approves Rs 25,000 aid for buying e-autorickshaws to 32 applicants

The civic body is promoting use of clean-fuel vehicles, he said, adding that an earlier scheme of giving financial assistance for CNG-run autorickshaws had been discontinued.

The new scheme will benefit the first 5,000 eligible applicants and it will be extended to as many years as possible till the target is achieved, Dighe said. “We are not keeping any applications pending for long if they have completed the documentation and are eligible for the financial assistance. This will hopefully encourage more residents to avail of the benefits of the scheme,” he said.

He also said the e-autorickshaws would have a good response in the feeder service being launched at the metro station.

Inaugurating the scheme last week, guardian minister Chandrakant Patil laid stress on women who want to buy e-autorickshaws. “The e-autorickshaw costs Rs 3 lakh. The state government will provide some funds to women purchasing the vehicle and there will also be help to raise the remaining money with public support for women purchasing e-autorickshaws,” he said.

Autorickshaw unions have said the new initiative will be successful only if the civic body adopts a holistic approach: more assistance as the cost of electric rickshaws is high; more charging stations; repair assistance given the lack of facilities in the city; and help in availing of more financial assistance from the state and central governments.

The PMC has been promoting environment-friendly autorickshaws since 2012. It had provided financial assistance of Rs 12,000 each for 16,000 petrol and diesel-run autorickshaws that had been converted to CNG. The scheme was discontinued in 2020.

The conditions under the new scheme are that the autorickshaw owner should be a resident of the city, the vehicle should be a passenger rickshaw and the financial assistance will be deposited through direct benefits transfer in the owner’s account.

Residents can apply through https://dbt.pmc.gov.in, fill in all the details and submit copies of their registration certificate, driving licence, badge, Aadhaar card, PAN card and bank account details. Hard copies of the documents should be submitted for verification.