Bhubaneswar: In a move to empower women and make them self-reliant through employment, the Odisha government is set to launch a new scheme, namely 'Ama Subahaka Yojana'. The scheme aims to support women in becoming professional taxi drivers and entrepreneurs in the transport sector.

Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena said the programme has been approved by the state government. Over the next four years, around 1,100 women will receive financial assistance to buy cars that they can use as taxis.

Under the scheme, each beneficiary woman will be eligible for a bank loan of up to ₹10 lakh to purchase a car. The loan will be repayable in five years, while the state government will bear the interest burden at an annual rate of 11 per cent.

The scheme will be implemented in phases as 200 women will receive cars in the first year, 250 in the second year, 300 in the third year, and 350 in the fourth year. In a push for green mobility, women who choose to buy electric vehicles (EVs) will get an incentive of ₹2 lakh. The scheme will be available to women aged 21 to 40 years.

So far, 6,216 women have completed driving training across four driving training and research institutes in Odisha. The new scheme is intended to help these trained women become financially independent, the minister added.