With 30 women completing a two-month training for autorickshaw driving, the stage is set for their acquiring a learner’s licence as a part of the ‘She Auto’ self-employment programme.
The scheme aims to empower women by providing them with the necessary assistance for training and procedural concessions and to improve the safety of women passengers as well as meeting the growing urban transportation needs.
It’s a small beginning though as they form a fraction of the 7,000 to 10,000 autos running in the city. “About 100 women had come forward from various parts of the city and of them 70 began training. But with biometric attendance for training finally 30 trained. They have almost completed two months of training and have to obtain the learner’s licence from the RTA,” says N. Srilakshmi of People’s Welfare Society, an NGO registered with National Skill Development Agency and training partner for A P Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas. The processing of applications was carried out through MEPMA, Visakhapatnam, under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission.
The training is complete and they should have gone for the learner’s licence earlier, she says adding it got delayed.
Special permission
The Motor Vehicle Act does not allow the grant of ‘badge’ for driving of public transport autos until one year after getting the learner’s licence. But the scheme had been launched in Vijayawada after obtaining special permission from the District Collector after which RTA officials issued the proceedings to allow the women driver’s run the autos for public transport, Ms. Srilakshmi said. The Visakhapatnam District Collector would be approached for obtaining the special permission, she said.
Punjab National Bank is financing vehicles for the She Auto Scheme all over the State. Once the permission is obtained the women drivers will apply for a loan and they have to foot the beneficiary share of about Rs.17,000.
The will be stationed at the railway and bus stations and tied up with schools to begin with.
However, after issuing learner’s licence a permanent licence is issued for non-transport and after a year another LLR has to be obtained for transport autos and a month after that transport licence will be given, say RTA officials here.
“There is no way this process can be cut short by way of special permission as the computerised process will not accept it. The only way out is to amend the Motor Vehicle Act,” said an RTA official.
“In Vijayawada special permission has been obtained for the launch of the scheme. But I came to know only 10 or 12 of the 47 autos for which permission had been given are plying,” AP MEPMA Mission Director P. China Tataiah told The Hindu .
He said the objective of ‘She Auto’ scheme is skill development for employment, women empowerment and ensuring safety.
The possibility of a special permission will be explored. “Otherwise, we will ask those who trained whether they are willing to wait for a year. As an alternative, she can give it on hire to others or her husband or son or relatives may run it until she gets a valid licence as no government subsidy is involved,” he said.
With the imparting of training and their getting an auto the objectives are being met, he added.
