A fleet of pink electric auto-rickshaws — and the livelihoods that come with them — arrived as a policy reality for Delhi's women and transgender community on Monday, 12 October 2026, as Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta formally launched the 'Durga E-Auto Yojana' at the Delhi Secretariat and opened its online registration portal.

1,300 pink e-autos — and who gets them first

The scheme's first phase earmarks 1,170 e-autos for women and 130 for transgender individuals — a combined 1,300 beneficiaries in the opening rollout. Each recipient will own their vehicle outright, giving them, as CM Gupta put it, 'aajivika ka apna sadhan' — 'a livelihood of their own'. Cabinet colleague Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh was present at the launch alongside senior officials.

The choice of the name 'Durga' is deliberate: it frames economic self-reliance through the lens of feminine strength, a recurring motif in BJP-led welfare branding. The distinctively pink colour coding mirrors similar gender-targeted transit initiatives seen in other Indian states, making beneficiary vehicles instantly identifiable on the capital's roads.

Register now — the portal is live

CM Gupta directly urged all eligible women and transgender persons to register on the scheme portal without delay. 'Your success is our happiness,' she said, wishing beneficiaries a future of prosperity and new opportunities for their families. The registration-first model is designed to ensure verified, targeted delivery — a lesson drawn from earlier Delhi subsidy schemes where leakage diluted impact.

Electric mobility meets gender equity

The Durga E-Auto Yojana sits at the intersection of two pressing urban priorities: Delhi's push to electrify its auto-rickshaw fleet to cut air pollution, and the BJP government's stated agenda of women-led economic empowerment under the #ViksitDelhi banner. Owning — rather than renting — a commercial vehicle fundamentally changes the economics for a driver: no daily hire charges, no middlemen, and full control of earnings.

For the transgender community, the explicit inclusion of 130 vehicles in phase one is a concrete, numbered commitment rather than a rhetorical gesture — a detail that advocacy groups will watch closely as disbursement begins.

Phase one is just the start. How fast the portal processes registrations, how quickly vehicles reach hands, and whether subsequent phases scale the numbers — those are the metrics that will define whether the Durga E-Auto Yojana becomes a flagship or a footnote.