Auto-rickshaw driver from Vizag wins accolades for offering free transport service to pregnant women

A city-based auto-rickshaw driver from Visakhapatnam, U. Sundar Rao, has been offering free transport to pregnant women for the past 26 years, despite earning a modest income. His selfless act earned him accolades when the district administration honored the 48-year-old during Independence Day celebrations. Since 2000, Mr. Sundar Rao has assisted 9,423 pregnant women in reaching hospitals on time for delivery.

His inspiration is his father, U. Prakash, a rickshaw-puller from the 1970s, who began the tradition of offering free rides to pregnant women in the absence of emergency ambulance services. Mr. Prakash continued the service even after purchasing a three-wheeler in the 1990s, and Mr. Sundar Rao has followed in his footsteps, building relationships with ASHA workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) who reach out to him whenever the need arises.

The government, through ASHA workers and ANMs, provides support to pregnant women from the first month of pregnancy. When a woman needs hospital admission for delivery, ASHA workers from various areas contact Mr. Rao, who safely transports them to the hospital without charging a fee. The district administration, led by Collector Abhishikt Kishore, recognized his service and felicitated him during the Independence Day celebrations, with Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad expressing gratitude for his gesture.

Mr. Rao aims to encourage other auto-rickshaw drivers to offer some form of service to the public, and he also provides free transport to the elderly and differently-abled persons during 'Chandanotsavam' and 'Margasira Masostsavams'.