Only 130 Maharashtra Women Receive Pink E-Rickshaws Against Target Of 10000

During a legislative council session in Mumbai on Friday, it was revealed that only 130 women have received vehicles under the Maharashtra government's Chief Minister’s Pink E-Rickshaw Scheme, falling drastically short of its 10,000 target.

Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare told the council that while 9,440 applications had been received across 17 cities, including Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, severe implementation hurdles have stalled the distribution. The scheme was originally introduced in 2024 to economically empower women.

Under the initiative, the state government earmarked Rs 80 crore to provide a 20 percent subsidy for the e-rickshaws. Beneficiaries are required to contribute 10 percent of the cost, while the remaining 70 percent must be secured through bank loans.

BJP MLC Chitra Wagh raised the issue in the legislative council, questioning the poor response to the scheme. Wagh pointed out that many eligible women are unable to secure the necessary bank loans due to strict CIBIL score requirements. She also flagged other hurdles, including difficulties in obtaining badges from Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), a lack of charging infrastructure, and poor quality of training from implementing agencies.

Adding to the criticism, Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjari alleged that the process has become vulnerable to agents, despite the scheme initially not requiring RTO registration.

Minister Tatkare acknowledged these challenges and noted that some applicants had expressed interest in renting out the vehicles rather than operating them themselves, which further affected implementation. However, she assured the council that the government would intensify its efforts to reach at least 5,000 beneficiaries this year.

The scheme is currently being implemented across 17 cities in Maharashtra, including Pimpri Chinchwad, Nashik, Sambhajinagar, Ahilyanagar, Kolhapur, and Solapur.