Odisha Govt to Launch ‘Ama Subahaka Yojana’ to Empower Women as Taxi Drivers

Bhubaneswar: In a major step towards women’s empowerment and self-reliance, the Odisha government is set to roll out a new scheme titled ‘Ama Subahaka Yojana’, aimed at helping women become professional taxi drivers and entrepreneurs in the transport sector.

Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena announced that the state government has approved the scheme, under which around 1,100 women will receive financial assistance over the next four years to purchase cars for taxi operations.

Under the initiative, each beneficiary will be eligible for a bank loan of up to ₹10 lakh to buy a car, repayable over five years. The state government will cover the interest component at an annual rate of 11%.

The scheme will be implemented in phases — 200 women will receive vehicles in the first year, 250 in the second, 300 in the third, and 350 in the fourth. To promote eco-friendly transport, women opting for electric vehicles (EVs) will receive an additional incentive of ₹2 lakh. The programme will be open to women aged between 21 and 40 years.

So far, 6,216 women have completed driving training across four Driving Training and Research Institutes in Odisha. The Ama Subahaka Yojana aims to provide these trained women with sustainable employment opportunities and enhance their financial independence, the minister added.