Piaggio helps autorickshaw drivers with 10,000 free ration kits

Vehicle maker Piaggio on Thursday said it has distributed over 10,000 free ration kits along with face masks and soaps to 3-wheeler drivers and their families, in the wake of their earnings getting impacted due to the lockdown, which will ensure their basic food safety at least for two months.

The free ration kits, containing dry ration as well as face masks, soaps and sanitisers as per the average requirement of four family members, were distributed on Wednesday across the country with the support of Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL) nationwide dealership network, the company said in a release.

The increasing number of Covid-19 cases has resulted in an extension of the nationwide lockdown with a few relaxations in certain areas. This protracted lockdown has terribly affected the auto rickshaw drivers, who largely depend on daily earnings, affecting the livelihood of many families, the company said.

"In these exceptionally difficult times, we stand with the auto driver and transport worker community to provide our support. They are facing difficulties in this unprecedented Covid-19 situation. We now decided to support the most needy households of this community by taking care of their basic food security for a period of two months.

"Our dealers are also partnering with us and supporting us voluntarily in this distribution to reach out to the underprivileged drivers and their families," said Diego Graffi, MD and CEO, PVPL, said.

PVPL, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Piaggio Group of Italy, has presence in small commercial vehicles and premium scooter segments in India.