The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, a few months before the Delhi assembly elections, announced a string of promises directed at the welfare of the auto driver community.
Wedding assistance, insurance cover, and other relief measures for this key voter base were among the announcements. Here is the list of proposed benefits:
Insurance Scheme of ₹10 Lakh
Kejriwal promised an insurance scheme of ₹10 lakh for all auto drivers in Delhi as part of this initiative to provide financial security to the family of drivers in the event of premature death or serious injury. This insurance will cover claims resulting from accidents and provide a safety net for the dependent.
Wedding Support for Daughters
To ease the familial burdens, Kejriwal provided a financial grant towards the marriage of a driver’s daughter. While the specifics about the grant amount and qualifying criteria have yet to be explained, the initiative is to lessen the wedding expenses.
Continued CNG Subsidy
The Delhi government shall continue the subsidy on compressed natural gas (CNG) prices for the auto drivers to ensure that fuel prices remain viable. The initiative supports eco-friendly practices while helping boost drivers’ incomes.
Reactions of the auto drivers’ community
The response to the announcements had been ambiguous. There had been a mix of responses from various drivers.
While many welcomed these promises, skepticism exists regarding the implementation.
Some pointed out the delays in implementing previous promises and urged the government to hurry rather than resorting to such schemes in an election year.
Problems of context and background
This comes as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) prepares itself for its re-election in Delhi. The auto driver community has always constituted a strong constituency for the party, often acting, in an informal sense, as campaigners.
By addressing their concerns, the AAP hopes to bolster their grassroots appeal.
In recent years, measures to promote cleaner technologies, such as free permits for electric autos and subsidized loans for these vehicles, were introduced by the Delhi government.
It builds on existing promises but provides for financial coverage and social angles.
The critics question whether these schemes are going to exert pressure on the state budget.
They claimed this is a “populist measure” announcement with no clear road map for implementation that aims to attract votes.
Most went so far as to express concerns regarding the broader economic framework alignment of Delhi with these proposals.
Most probably, Kejriwal’s promises will be the backbone of AAP’s campaign narrative.
But the impact will depend upon implementation and its follow-up with complete transparency.
As elections draw sharpened focus, the shoe will be on whether promises are undertaken from the concept stage to implementation.
Through these promises, the government of Delhi also wants to cement its hold among drivers of auto-rickshaws, which will add up to a large chunk of voters.
The real essence of it is to shake off jitters regarding the issue and go ahead delivering them.
