Praful Chander Nagpal
Fazilka, June 21
The Ecocab service of Fazilka, popularly known as Fazilka Pushpak Sewa, today turned one year old. Notably, with the launch of the service - a brainchild of the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF) - a year ago, eco-friendly rickshaw became just a call away in the city.
Celebrating the occasion, the association brought the rickshaw pullers under insurance cover, besides, launching welfare schemes for their kids.
The GWAF provided Digital Identity Cards (DIC) to altogether 250 registered rickshaw pullers of the town. The digital cards were distributed by the municipal council president Anil Sethi.
The notable feature of the DIC is that all the card holder rickshaw pullers have been covered under the health insurance scheme up to Rs 50,000.
The premium of which will be paid by the GWAF. With the health insurance cover, the rickshaw pullers will be entitled to free treatment up to Rs 50,000 at private nursing home of the town, namely Chandravati Hospital, Sachdeva Hospital, Gurpta Nursing Home, Jassi Heart Care Centre and Dhawan clinic.
According to the GWAF general secretary, Navdeep Asija, the insurance cover had been offered to the rickshaw pullers to provide them better health facilities in case of any accident or disease.
The GWAF active member Vikram Ahuja said that besides the GWAF has also made provision to provide education to the children of rickshaw pullers at a nominal rate of Rs 10 per month at a local Satsang Primary School.
The school managing committee would provide the children with free text books, notebooks and a set of winter uniform.
On this occasion, MC president Anil Sethi said that those rickshaw pullers, who had no houses, would be offered residential plots measuring 675 square feet at nominal rates on easy installments to enable them a better living.
The GWAF has suggested the rickshaw pullers that they could display publicity material of different companies like flex board on rear part of their rickshaw and hence earn about Rs 100 per month for such display.
He said that according to a survey conducted by the GWAF, each rickshaw puller runs a distance equal to an auto three wheeler which would consume two litres of fuel per day. Hence about 900 litres of fuel consumption is saved everyday besides preventing air pollution.
To mark the first anniversary of sewa, the MC president Anil Sethi inaugurated the office of rickshaw union opposite the local main bus stand.
