Hit by Covid, Telangana taxi drivers seek inclusion in MSME overhaul plan

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The Telangana State Driver and Taxi Joint Action Committee, which represents drivers working for app-based platforms and other taxi services, asked the Union Ministry of micro , small and medium-sized enterprises to make drivers eligible for the MSME restructuring plan announced by the Reserve Bank of India.

He wanted the government to forgo loans or announce a moratorium on loans until September 2021. “The government should tell banks and financial institutions not to harass taxi drivers by hiring debt collectors,” Shaik Salauddin , the Telangana State Taxi and Drivers Chairman of the Joint Action Committee, said.

In a memorandum submitted to BB Swain, secretary (Union Ministry of MSMEs) and Chandra Sekhar, additional industry advisor to the MPME-Development Institute, he said that taxi drivers are classified as gig and platform workers as defined by the Social Security Code. of 2020, the association.

“Application-based transportation workers have been overwhelmed by the pandemic, and the second wave of coronavirus has made matters worse for them. Loss of business due to foreclosure and continued harassment by debt collectors and loan officers for EMI payments has led to a number of suicides in the driver community, ”he said in the memorandum. .

The association wanted the government to give drivers access to various subsistence, health and medical services to get them out of the crisis. He also called on the government to make drivers eligible for various MSME programs to help them revive their livelihoods.

The association wanted the government to order transport companies to provide health and term insurance coverage to drivers in accordance with the guidelines of the Motor Vehicle Act.

“We are also asking for compensation from those who suffered losses after contracting the viral infection. Parents of deceased drivers should receive compensation of 10 lakh each, ”said Shaik Salauddin.

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