AP chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy became an auto driver for a couple of hours in Visakhapatnam as he disbursed Rs 261.52 crore for 2.61 lakh auto drivers under Vahana Mithra scheme.
Wearing a khakhi shirt like an auto driver, Jagan Mohan Reddy spent some time with the auto drivers. He also sat in an auto driven by a woman driver.
Later, addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that the amount of Rs 10,000 is for the recurring expenses like insurance, fitness certificate, and maintenance of the vehicle, which was promised during the 3,648 km padayatra.
He stated that the scheme was also provided during the Covid crisis, to stand by them in tough times. He urged the drivers to get insurance and fitness certificates for their vehicles, as passengers will also experience safe travel.
Recalling the three-year governance, the Chief Minister stated that over Rs 1000 crores was spent towards Vahana Mitra, benefiting lakhs of drivers and those who are left out can still apply at village/ward secretariats. He said that his government is moving ahead prioritizing both welfare and development and stated that almost Rs 1.62 lakh crore was directly credited into the beneficiaries’ accounts in a transparent manner without any corruption or discrimination.
He asked people to notice the difference between the previous and present government, where the current government is delivering welfare schemes, while the previous one only focused on ‘looting and sharing’ instead of serving the poor.