E-rickshaws get a new charge in Delhi-NCR

Electric autorickshaws are gradually spreading their wings in the Delhi-NCR region. Yesterday, prime minister Narendra Modi distributed 5,100 e-rickshaws at an event organised by the Bhartiya Micro Credit (BMC) programme under the Mudra Yojna Scheme in Noida.

The e-rickshaws were received by existing rickshaw owners as well as women and transgender recipients. In addition these recipients were also provided an insurance cover by the Pradhan Matri Jan Dhan Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana schemes and eight other significant schemes of the government. The event was also the platform for the  launch of the ‘Start Up India Stand Up India’ initiative.

Under this program, the 5,100 e-rickshaws are slotted for distribution in the Delhi-NCR area, including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Customers will subsequently be able to book e-rickshaws through the Ola mobile app and make online payment via Freecharge that has been integrated into this scheme under the Digital India initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, BMC’s managing director Vijay Pandey said, “Our goal is to provide 13 schemes to the beneficiaries of e-rickshaws as well as create a three-fold increment in their income. We believe that the progression to e-rickshaws will also help contribute towards achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.”

As part of this scheme, Bhartiya Micro Credit will also set up charging stations (for charging the e-rickshaw batteries) and service centres (for maintenance of e-rickshaws and batteries). Under the scheme, charging and service station will also be set up, which will help the growth of  emergence of small and micro enterprises along with creating many opportunities for entrepreneurs. 

The training of the e-rickshaw drivers has been done under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Under this scheme, beneficiaries including 150 women drivers have been provided formal training under the NSDC certification process.

According to Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO, Ola, “Economic growth, rapid urbanisation and environmental concerns are driving the need for innovative mobility solutions across the country. The transportation needs of users in smaller towns and sustainable alternatives for cycle rickshaws will be solved with the introduction of Ola e-rickshaws, which are affordable, environment-friendly and convenient. We believe this will improve the lives of countless beneficiaries over time impacting the livelihoods of driver entrepreneurs and taking us closer to our mission of mobility for a billion people.”

Govind Rajan, COO, FreeCharge, added, “FreeCharge is committed to building a cashless India by making digital payments frictionless and easily accessible to all. We are very excited to partner with Bhartiya Micro Credit to bring e-rickshaw drivers into India's Digital payment ecosystem.