Khattar announces scheme to give subsidy, interest-free loans on e-scooter purchase by gig workers

Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday announced a new scheme to provide subsidy, interest-free loans on e-scooter purchase by gig workers. These workers have emerged as an important element of the service sector, providing door-step delivery of goods and services for online aggregators such as Uber, Zomato, Khattar said, adding that these people usually come from the poorest strata of society.

“Therefore, I propose to introduce a new scheme wherein a subsidy of Rs5,000 and an interest-free loan with credit guarantee for an amount of Rs45,000 or the actual ex-showroom price, whichever is less, for purchase of an electric scooter shall be provided to a gig-worker who is registered in Parivar Pehchan Patra (family id) and on e-shram and who belongs to a family whose annual income is up to Rs1.80 lakh,” Khattar said, while presenting the state Budget for 2024-25 in the Assembly.

He said the details of the scheme shall be separately notified by the labour department. Meanwhile, Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced an allocation of Rs 92.83 crore to the labour sector for 2024-25, an increase of 7.05 per cent over the revised estimates of Rs 86.71 crore in the current year. He said during 2023-24, Haryana Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board, spent Rs 250 crore on different welfare schemes supporting 85,338 beneficiaries. The government has recently launched a scheme for providing electric scooters for the daughters of registered construction workers with financial assistance of up to Rs 50,000, or the actual ex-showroom price, whichever is less, through e-RUPI. This will enable daughters of construction workers to avail of better opportunities for higher education, he said.