State govt tweaks membership and name of autorickshaw/taxi drivers board

Mumbai: The state Transport Department on Wednesday renamed the welfare board for autorickshaw and taxi drivers as “Dharmveer Anand Dighe Saheb Maharashtra Passenger Transport Drivers Welfare Board”.Earlier it was called the Dharmveer Anand Dighe Saheb Maharashtra Auto-Rickshaw and Mitred Taxi Drivers Welfare Board.After the change in name, drivers of all passenger transport vehicles will be part of the board and not just auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, widening the ambit of the board’s operations.“By amending the eligibility for membership of the welfare board, the govt is approving the membership of the board to include license holders with badges driving all types of passenger vehicles,” a Govt Resolution (GR) said.In 2024, the state govt sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the then Dharamveer Anand Dighe Saheb Maharashtra Auto-Rickshaw and Taxi Driver Welfare Board, with the amount to be deposited in the board’s account and the Transport Commissioner designated as the drawing and disbursing officer.The welfare board will provide various schemes for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, officials said.Officials said the board has so far registered just over 9000 members across 17 RTO offices. “Kalyan and Thane RTOs have maximum members with over 1000 each. Membership requires a one-time registration fee of Rs 500 and an annual subscription of Rs 300. Drivers need only their Aadhaar card and mobile number to sign up for the membership board’s dedicated portal. Benefits on offer include a Rs 10,000 retirement honorarium for drivers aged 65 and above, scholarship schemes for children, financial aid for on-duty injuries, and proposed life and disability insurance coverage,” officials said.There are an estimated 15 lakh auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across Maharashtra.