New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS): The Delhi government has extended the last date to apply for the registration of e-autos for women applicants till the 33 per cent slot gets filled up.

"Till now a total of 19,885 applications have been received by the Transport Department for the registration of e-autos. Out of these total applications, 19,187 are male applicants and the total number of women applicants is 698," the Delhi government said in a statement.

The (women) applicant having a valid driving license of Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) or holder of a three-seater auto-rickshaws (TSR) driving license could apply for the registration of e-autos if they have an Aadhaar card with a Delhi address.

The Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badge is not required at the time of application, however, the successful applicant will have to obtain a PSV badge within 45 days of the draw of allotment. The (women) applicants can visit transport.delhi.gov.in to apply for e-auto registration and can call on the 1076 helpline number of the Delhi Government for any assistance.

"Earlier, we had thought of filling the remaining slots with general category applications. But over the past one month, we have slowly noticed a larger number of women applying and coming forward with enquiries.

"We realise that unless we stick to our mandate and give the required push, we will always end up making excuses to not let women be active participants. Imagine what 1,400+ women driving autos on Delhi roads would mean for themselves and also for the lakhs of women who feel safe travelling in these autos.

"We are keeping it open for now, we are also in talks with NGOs to train more women and we hope to see more strong women driving autos, cabs and even buses on Delhi roads in the future," Transport Minister of Delhi, Kailash Gahlot said in a statement.

The online scheme for registration was launched in October.