65 including 9 women gets e-rickshaw, Biren stunned to see women among beneficiaries

Imphal: Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh on Wednesday distributed e-Autos and e-Rickshaws to 65 beneficiaries including nine women under UNDP-GEF Project on “Market Transformation and Removal of Barriers for Effective Implementation of the State-level Climate Change Action Plan, Manipur”.

Biren was moved by the presence of women among the beneficiaries who were distributed e-auto/ rickshaw.

“I feel glad with the courage shown by the women beneficiaries to come up with such occupation on one hand and also feel sad about the circumstances that compelled them to take up such occupation on the other hand,” Biren said.

Promotion of these environmentally friendly vehicles could be the most feasible solution to cater the demand for public transportation and to promote e-mobility in public transport sectors with a target of ultimately phasing out the old diesel autos in the state so that air and noise pollution level could be mitigated at a certain level, Biren said.

An e-Auto costs Rs 3, 02000 and an e-Rickshaw costs Rs 2, 11000.

An amount of Rs 1, 40,000 each is provided to the beneficiaries as grant by the government for the purchase of the e-auto/rickshaw and the remaining amount is provided through loan by Manipur State Co-operative Bank. The steps to provide such benefit is taken up under Manipur State Action Plan on Climate Change, with an objective to address the existing as well as future challenges of climate change and taking action to reduce the associated risks and vulnerabilities, an official statement said.

Raising concern on the water scarcity faced due to large scale deforestation, Biren Singh appealed to the people to be responsible and contribute in preserving the nature.

The chief minister informed that the government has been providing scholarships for coaching to civil service aspirants of the state to provide the much-needed support to those deserving and meritorious students. The government had consulted with reputed civil service coaching institutes operating outside the state to open its centre in the state. It is in process to come up with a proper plan to start the coaching class from June this year to provide adequate grooming to deserving aspirants. Aspirants need not go outside the state, to take coaching classes, spending huge amount of money, once the coaching classes start, he added.

Manipur has many talented youth with certain innovative ideas and so the government had extended assistance and encouragement to hardworking young entrepreneurs through its Manipur Start up Scheme. Under the scheme, interviews for selection of innovative entrepreneurs for providing loans are in process and will be over within a month. A provision for providing such loans had been put in the budget, he added.

The distribution function was organised by the state Directorate of Environment and Climate Change.

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