Rs 12,000 Per Year To Be Given To Telangana Auto Drivers

Minister for IT and Industries D Sridhar Babu today reiterated that the State government was committed to the welfare of the auto drivers in Telangana.

During the debate on the motion of thanks for the Governor's speech, Babu said that the State government would take all possible steps to protect the interests of the auto drivers, and that all the issues related to them would be addressed in a phased manner.

Responding to the remarks of BRS MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy that 21 auto drivers had committed suicides in two months and demanding Rs 20 lakh in compensation to the families of each of those drivers, the minister said that the Congress had already included the issues of the auto drivers in its manifesto, anticipating their problems following the launch of the free travel facility for women in TSRTC buses.

He said that the government would give Rs 12,000 per year to the auto drivers of the State.

Minister for Transport Ponnam Prabhakar too promised that the State government would work towards finding a solution to the concerns of the auto drivers, and that justice would be done to them as early as possible.

Prabhakar also said that his government had so far given Rs 530 crore to the TSRTC for providing free bus travel facility to women.