Delhi unveils Durga scheme for women and transgender e-auto drivers

New Delhi: CM Rekha Gupta on Tuesday unveiled the Driving Upliftment and Rozgar for Women/Transgender Green e-Auto scheme -- or ‘Durga’ – during her budget speech, aimed at empowering women and transgender communities while promoting green mobility in the capital.Under the first phase, 1,000 women and 100 transgender individuals will receive support to obtain new auto permits, helping them become economically independent as professional e‑auto drivers. An outlay of Rs 20 crore has been proposed for the scheme. “Our govt proposes the ‘Durga’ scheme to make women and transgender communities self-reliant,” Gupta said.Underlining the goal of creating a green, sustainable and congestion-free transport system, she proposed an allocation of Rs 8,374 crore for the transport department for 2026‑27.To transform urban mobility in the city, a bill for the creation of ‘Delhi Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority’, or DUMTA, is under process for which an outlay of Rs 5 crore has been proposed. DUMTA will be formed to integrate fragmented transit agencies like metro, buses and rail under one body to improve coordination, reduce traffic congestion and enhance last-mile connectivity.A key focus of the budget is the expansion of the city’s electric bus fleet under the PM E‑DRIVE initiative. Govt plans to introduce 6,130 more e-buses in a phased manner, with a target of 7,500 buses operational by March 2027, including 5,800 e-buses. By 2029, it aims to deploy 12,000 electric buses, marking a major step toward Delhi’s vision of zero-emission public transport.To accelerate electric mobility adoption, govt has earmarked Rs 200 crore for Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2.0, promoting purchase incentives, vehicle scrappage support and expansion of charging infrastructure to push the city toward “zero-emission mobility”.Vehicle safety is also a priority, with three automatic testing stations already set up at Nand Nagri, Burari and Tehkhand, and five planned across major DTC depots at a cost of Rs 50 crore, CM said. Additionally, Rs 320 crore has been allocated for the electrification of bus depots and related infrastructure.