Lockdown: One-time financial help given to over 1 lakh para-transit vehicle drivers in Delhi

The Delhi government has provided one-time financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to over one lakh drivers of para-transit vehicles including autos and taxis.

Over Rs 55 crore has been given as financial assistance during the COVID-19-induced lockdown to para-transit vehicle drivers, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Wednesday.

"The Delhi government has transferred Rs 5,000 financial assistance to 1,10,093 public service vehicle (PSV) badge holder para-transit drivers," the government said in a statement.

The transport department has also started registration of e-rickshaw owners and permit holders of para-transit vehicles for the financial assistance.

The Delhi government has decided to provide the one-time help to drivers of autos, taxis, e-rickshaws and other para-transit vehicles to tide over the financial crisis caused by coronavirus pandemic and lockdown imposed due to it.

The money was transferred as per Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer to the bank accounts of the applicants. In this whole process, it was ensured that no person had to leave home and stand in queue to get the assistance.

"When we started the process of registration, several hurdles were faced. In a bid to tackle these hurdles, which were mostly technical, we developed a mobile-based technology and software," Gahlot said.

The PSV badge holders applied based on the name mentioned in their driving licence and submitted both their driving licence and Aadhaar card.

Gahlot said in around 60,000 cases, it was found that there was a mismatch in the name in the driving licence and the Aadhaar card.

This caused problems in verification and all 13 motor licensing officers were directed to manually cross-check and verify the names and details in the driving licence with Aadhaar details, he said.

The department has received nearly 1,58,000 applications for the financial assistance, Gahlot said.

The government has also initiated the process of registration for e-rickshaw owners and permit holders of para-transit vehicles who do not have PSV badges.

The decision will benefit more than 60,000 permit holders of para-transit vehicles and owners of e-rickshaws registered in Delhi.