E-Rickshaws: State govt to provide 500 e-rickshaws to the disabled | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: To provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to persons with disabilities (PwDs), the state govt has decided to allocate 500 e-rickshaws to eligible PwDs across the state soon.
For the implementation of this initiative, the social security and empowerment of persons with disabilities (SSEPD) department will partner with Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), which will provide the necessary funding for the procurement of e-rickshaws through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) resources.
In a letter to the district collectors, Madhumita Nayak, additional secretary of SSEPD requested that they identify eligible beneficiaries and submit the list for approval. “The SSEPD department, in collaboration with MCL, will distribute 500 e-rickshaws to underprivileged PwDs as livelihood support. You are therefore requested to shortlist and send the recommendations of PwDs based on the specified criteria,” states the letter from Nayak.
The department has provided specific district-wise targets and outlined clear criteria for transparently selecting beneficiaries. According to the criteria, applicants must be permanent residents of Odisha, above 18 years of age, and persons with benchmark disabilities. They must also be medically fit to operate an e-rickshaw.
The guidelines further stipulate that applicants should not be govt employees, and hearing-impaired PwDs must be hearing aid users to use the vehicles.
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