AP disburses Rs. 261 cr to over 21L beneficiaries under Vahana Mitra scheme

Visakhapatnam: For the 4th consecutive year, Rs. 261 crores was disbursed to 21,61,516 beneficiaries under the YSR Vahana Mitra scheme of the Andhra Pradesh government. Under this scheme, financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 is given to each driver-cum-owner of autos, taxis, and taxi cabs. On Friday, Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy interacted with the beneficiaries at the event organised in Visakhapatnam.

Speaking to beneficiaries, the CM said, "During my 3,648 km padayatra, many auto and taxi drivers raised concerns about facing difficulties in getting fitness certificates and insurance for their vehicles citing financial issues. To ensure that no auto, taxi, or maxi cab drivers suffer or are forced to take loans at exorbitant rates of interest from private money lenders, we have come up with this scheme."

He added that the state government will always support them through the financial assistance provided through direct benefit transfer (DBT). According to the data available, to date, the government had spent Rs. 1,025 crores under YSR Vahana Mitra Scheme wherein each beneficiary has received Rs. 40,000 in the last four years.