Demanded package for autorickshaw drivers to make them “Aatmanirbhar”
@the_news_21
Navi Mumbai: The lockdown enforced after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has had its cascading effect on the economy and life in general. It has hit the economy in various ways and autorickshaw drivers are no different. The Navi Mumbai auto-rickshaw union drivers’ who are in dire straits for the last six months due to the effects of lockdown have written a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing the centre government to provide financial assistance to them.
The Navi Mumbai Rickshaw Chalak Malak Sanghtana (NMRCMS) which is the union of Navi Mumbai autorickshaw drivers have in their letter called upon the central government to declare financial package as well intervene in postponement of loan premiums of their vehicles and rebate in taxes to tide over the difficult time.
Machindranath Tandel, Chairman of NMRCMS said, “There are more than 10 lakhs autorickshaw drivers and 2 lakh taxi drivers in Maharashtra and we are going through a very bad phase after the declaration of Lockdown on March 24, 2020. The autorickshaw drivers and taxi drivers depend on daily earnings to run their families and from last six months due to very limited business or no business they are looking out for financial but till now no assistance from both state and central government. The central government should provide a package of Rs 500 to Rs 1000 crore for both autorickshaw and taxi drivers.”
Tandel further added, “The government should immediately postpone our monthly GST liabilities and also ask the banks and financial institutions to not burden us with more interest on loans.”
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” We have written the letter to the Prime Minister Modi with hope that he will definitely come up with some financial assistance or a package to make the autorickshaw drivers self-dependent that is ” Aatmanirbhar” said Tandel.
Premnath Bhide, autorickshaw driver from Nerul said, “We depend on our daily earnings and our livelihood totally depends on driving an auto rickshaw but our business came to halt due to the lockdown. During Covid-19 large numbers of auto and taxi drivers and their families are in a precarious situation, but neither the Centre nor the city government has offered any help to us.”
Tandel said, “We have urged the Prime Minister for help on a priority basis or our situation will worsen further in the days to come. Now our patience and resolve is dissipating because the lockdown poses the threat of starvation before us. The government must come forward to help us financially in this critical situation.”-By Abhitash D.Singh
