R ARIVANANTHAM
KEVADIA (GUJARAT), FEB 21
Where there is a wheel, there is a way, show Pink Autos driven by steely willed tribal women at Statue of Unity in Kevadia Colony of Narmada district in Gujarat.
As part of empowering tribal women, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET), the statutory body governing the overall development of areas surrounding the Statue of Unity (SoU) created self-employment opportunities for tribal women. Under this plan, tribal women not only ply Pink Autos (E-Rickshaw) but also as ambassadors of change.
- A tribal woman driver who has valid licence and trained by the authorities can take the auto by paying Rs 700 per day.
- Enthused by the overwhelming response received from the tourists, the SVPRET authorities have decided to increase the number of E-autorickshaws to 300 shortly.
The tribal women who have qualified to get driving license were imparted the necessary training to ply auto for tourists thronging SoU, jungle forest, butterfly park, the famous evening Aarthi on the banks of the Narmada, the Life Line of Gujarat.
Initially, the SVPRET authorities procured 175 E-Rickshaws and distributed among trained tribal woman drivers to stand on their own feet.
A tribal woman driver who has valid licence and trained by the authorities can take the auto by paying Rs 700 per day. They can ply the auto within the governing area of the SVPRET and earn right from 8 am to till night.
Sangitaben, a woman driver hailing from the neigbouring Navagham village, told the visiting Tamil Nadu journalists that she could earn a minimum amount of Rs 300 to a maximum of Rs 1,000 per day.
“Earlier, I was doing household chores and wasting the rest of the time. The self-employment opportunity created by the SVPRET helped me to know many new things from the visiting tourists from nook and corner of the country and abroad. Now, am earning extra income for my family to help raise the standard of living,” added Sangitaben.
An official said that the SVPRET has a scheme, where a tourist can hire an auto for the whole day by paying Rs 2,000 to the authorities. In such a case, the women driver attached to the tourists would be paid Rs 1,300 after deducting the daily rent of Rs 700.
Enthused by the overwhelming response received from the tourists, the SVPRET authorities have decided to increase the number of E-autorickshaws to 300 shortly.
Apart from these, the SVPRET authorities hire the local tribals for feeding the animals, birds at the zoological park created near the SoU.
(The Press Information Bureau has arranged the Tamil Nadu media visit of Gujarat)
