Women participants of Women on Wheels (WOW) ride their motor-bikes during a rally launching the Women on Wheels campaign in Lahore on January 10, 2016. AFP PHOTO / Arif ALI
The Prime Minister’s Women on Wheels program will give 22,000 motorbikes to women nationwide.
According to a report, women including businesswomen, students, teachers, health workers, and women working in government or semi-government institutions will benefit from this plan.
The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) will implement this initiative as per the government’s instructions. The commission issued the following statement:
We are so excited for entrusting with Women on Wheels project worth Rs. 4476.17 million under the PM’s initiatives. This project will increase ease of mobility for women and empower them economically and socially.
The report adds that only permanent women employees will receive these bikes. Female employees would receive bikes this year on a monthly payment of Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000, depending on employment status. The scooters will be distributed between August and November.
Speaking on the matter, an official stated:
The initiative is not just to enable women to ride bikes, but is also creating general awareness on road safety and regulations. More importantly, it includes empowering women financially by providing jobs such as delivery service providers through partnerships with private sector companies. We will also provide bikes to those women hailing from the less-privileged strata of society who want to ride bikes but are not able to buy them. Interestingly, the record shows that very small number of women car drivers was issued traffic tickets last year as they rarely commit any traffic violations.