NGO Clean Air Punjab for extending e-auto scheme to women drivers

Amritsar, February 22

The office-bearers of Clean Air Punjab, an NGO, have written to Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, to address air quality challenges in Punjab. The NGO has requested the minister to ensure the expeditious approval of pink electric auto policy for women under the Rejuvenation of Auto-Rickshaws in Amritsar through Holistic Intervention (RAAHI) Project instituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Recognising the role of electric vehicles (EVs) in achieving net-zero emission by 2070, Clean Air Punjab highlights the imperative of integrating women into the transportation workforce. In a landscape where only a few states actively address gender disparity, Punjab’s pioneering extension of the RAAHI scheme to women auto drivers exemplifies progressive policy-making. The substantial 90 per cent subsidy on electric autos for women not only catalyses economic empowerment but also cultivates environmental stewardship.

At a recent meet convened on February 18, attended by 250 women, there emerged a palpable eagerness among the participants to embrace electric autos in Amritsar, provided with requisite support. Clean Air Punjab advocates the implementation of capacity-building initiatives under the RAAHI initiative, leveraging the self-help group model of the National Urban Livelihood Mission.

Indu Aurora, president, Voice of Amritsar, articulated the pressing need to curtail emissions in Amritsar, elucidating the health hazards affecting citizens, especially the vulnerable demography. She underscored the transformative potential of electric vehicles in ameliorating air quality and enhancing financial empowerment among women.

Simarpreet Sandhu, Chairperson, FICCI-FLO, elucidated the imperatives of support mechanisms tailored for women entrepreneurs in the electric auto industry. She advocated strategic funding allocations, mentorship programmes and policies fostering gender diversity to nurture a conducive ecosystem for women’s participation.

Shweta Mehra from the NGO emphasised the cardinal principle of equal opportunity in women’s empowerment, reflecting on the receptive engagement of policy-makers and women alike during the gender-responsive transition in Amritsar.