Odisha minister rides auto-rickshaw driven by woman on R-Day

Deogarh: It was indeed a proud moment for Rajkishori Tete of Gajaribani village under Tileibani block of Odisha’s Deogarh district as Women & Child Development Minister Basanti Hembram rode the auto-rickshaw driven by her on Republic Day.

The minister and District Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay visited the village by taking a ride in the three-wheeler of Tete, who has become independent despite adverse situations in her life by being an auto-rickshaw driver.

The livelihood has enabled her to run her family and raise her children after the demise of her husband.

The woman had in 2019 purchased the auto-rickshaw to support her husband financially. Though tragedy struck with the death of her husband due to COVID-19, it couldn’t stop the strongly determined woman.

She ferries patients from the village to Deogarh District Headquarters Hospital and passengers from the locality to Deogarh town in the vehicle. Thanks to her polite behaviour, people, especially women, prefer to travel in her auto-rickshaw.

She has become the first woman auto-rickshaw driver of the district and earned accolades from all quarters.