Auto-rickshaws and cars line up at a CNG gas station, in New Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government on Friday approved financial assistance scheme of Rs 5,000 for auto-taxi drivers in the national capital as the country goes through the pandemic affecting livelihoods.
Besides this, all PSV badges and permit holders of para-transit vehicles will be provided financial assistance of Rs 5,000.
In 2020 also, 1.56 lakh auto and taxi drivers were provided with financial assistance during the lockdown.
The Delhi government said that beneficiaries of the 2020 plan will not be required to reapply for the scheme. After verification from local bodies, Rs 5,000 will be directly transfered to their bank accounts linked to their Aadhar card.
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Meanwhile, the national capital reported 8,506 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, the lowest since April 10, while its daily positivity rate came down to 12.40 per cent in the last 24 hours, the Delhi governments daily health bulletin said.
The overall Covid situation has improved in the national capital in the last few days with most parameters showing signs of improvement.
Delhi had reported 10,489 new cases on Thursday, 13,287 on Wednesday, 12,481 on Tuesday, 12,651 on Monday, 13,336 on Sunday and 17,364 fresh cases on Saturday.
At least 54,042 RT-PCR tests and 14,533 Rapid Antigen tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.
On the other hand, the daily deaths dropped below the 300-mark in the national capital after many days, with Delhi reporting 289 fatalities on Friday, taking its overall toll to 20,907.
Delhi had reported 308 deaths on Thursday, 300 on Wednesday, 347 on Tuesday, 319 on Monday, 273 on Sunday and 332 fatalities on Saturday.
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