The Andhra Pradesh Government on Friday launched a welfare scheme christened - YSR Vahana Mitra - under which the owner-driver of an auto-rickshaw, or taxicab, gets Rs 10,000 grant per annum.

Launching the scheme in Eluru, the district headquarters of West Godavari, Chief Minister Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy said during his padayatra many auto-rickshaw drivers had represented to him that they were finding it difficult to pay nearly Rs 10,000 per annum to obtain fitness certificate for the vehicle, pay insurance and also road tax. . Moved by their plight, the Chief Minister on Friday he had launched the scheme barely four months after he had assumed office.

He assured the people at a public meeting that his Government would fulfill all the promises it had made in the manifesto. More than 1.73 lakh auto owner-drivers would benefit from this scheme and only 2,000 or so applications had been rejected. The Government had allocated Rs 400 crore for it, he added.

Jaganmohan Reddy said his Government was also committed to imposing total prohibition in the State. As a first step, belt shops (unauthorised liquor outlets) and permit rooms had been removed. Private wine shops had been done away with and liquor was being sold only at outlets run by the AP Beverages Corporation with many restrictions to discourage consumption.

Transport Minister Nani and officials spoke on the occasion. Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a Government medical college in the town.

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