From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Sept 22: In a first of its kind initiative, Karnataka’s social welfare ministry launched ‘Airavatha Scheme’ to create more self-employment opportunities and boost livelihood options for rural and semi urban youth.

Targeted especially at the young men and women of SC/ST communities - the scheme will provide them training, mentoring, financial assistance and industry partnerships for a secure livelihood.

Overall, the state government is looking to invest over Rs 225 crore in the scheme, which will ensure job creation and economic development of the individuals.

Dr G Parameshwara, deputy chief minister and Bengaluru development minister, said these are the kind of schemes that would ensure job creation and boost economic development with the help of the industry.

“This is a bold step, and a first of its kind programme. There cannot be development without job creation and I hope this Airavatha acts as a catalyst in Karnataka’s growth story,” he said adding that he hoped more partners like Uber join us as we take development to every part of the state.

Through the Airavatha scheme, the state government aims to foster partnerships with potential service providers and aggregators to provide opportunities to unemployed SC/ST youth to take up ownership of cabs and taxis under the scheme.

In the first phase, the social welfare ministry has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)with Uber, under which the government will provide a financial grant of Rs 5 Lakh each to identified beneficiaries from the SC/ST community.

Uber will be assisting the state goverment in identifying eligible candidates from the SC/ST community from the Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi cities of the state, especially in semi-urban areas, and encourage them to take advantage of this scheme.

Uber will also train beneficiaries, encourage them to register as driver partners on the Uber App, and thereby, provide access to entrepreneurial opportunities and viable earnings.

Beneficiaries will also be provided with the necessary assistance to avail any additional loans from financial institutions.

The stare government and Uber will identify and train 500 youth under the first phase of this scheme, and will scale it up across the state in the future.

Social welfare minister Priyank Kharge, under whose department the scheme will be implemented expressed hope that more and more youth from the marginalised and vulnerable communities come forward and make use of the opportunity, and thus be a part of the tech and industrial revolution in the state.

“We in the government of Karnataka are committed to people-oriented development. We are committed to provide the SC/ST community with the necessary resources to chart their success stories,’’ he said.

"With Uber, we will ensure economic opportunities and income levels in the tier 2 and a tier 3 cities improves. This will, we hope, improve the standard of living for these families and the communities themselves, and people live better lives. We will take every effort to realise the potential and ambitions of our young people, and ensure that Karnataka is truly a state of growth," Karge explained.

The goal is to promote a fleet of minimum 4,500 cabs / taxis in the state. Airavatha scheme will help to strategize the livelihood program of the social welfare department and eventually will leads to the economic empowerment of the concerned beneficiaries.

Elaborating on the impact of the grants, Pradeep Parameswaran, President, Uber India and South Asia said, “Uber is committed to partnering with the government of Karnataka and equipping all sections of society with the resources to chart their entrepreneurial journey on the app. With this initiative, the government of Karnataka has once again demonstrated its intent to partner for progress and incentivise skills building and entrepreneurship.’’

"As a multi-modal platform, we believe that technology holds the key to creating millions of economic opportunities while solving for mobility, security and congestion. We commend the Karnataka government for their progressive vision in this regard," he explained.

Interested candidates can apply by downloading the application forms from www.kalyanakendra.com and www.adcl.karnataka.gov.in. These forms will be available on the site from October 2 to 31, 2018.

With the Airavatha scheme, the government of Karnataka is living up to its promise of a development agenda that takes into account social factors and ensures all-round sustainable, people-focused growth.