Mangalore: It was a day of hope and blessings for 60 unemployed youth who received subsidy of Rs 2 lakhs each from the Dakshina Kannada district administration and Tourism Department to buy a four-wheeler taxi.

The scheme which is meant for the unemployed youth belonging to other backward communities (OBC) and minorities was intended to encourage self-entrepreneurship.

All of them parked their four-wheeler in front of the DC’s office on Saturday, as the District in-charge minister B. Ramanath Rai and Mangalore North MLA J.R Lobo greeted them good wishes.

Later, addressing the beneficiaries, Rai asked them to participate in attracting tourists. The western ghat and the sea is our strength. We have sent proposal to relax the rules of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), he said.

MLA Lobo said fishing and port is one of the main attractions of our city. But, no one speaks about it. It’s we the people who have to talk about it, and attract people here. Our city has all the potential to be a touristic destination, he said.

He asked the beneficiaries to use taxi as a medium to attract tourists to the city. ‘Don’t bother them because the tourists are not of this region. But, build a pro-tourist image, he asked.

Commission for sanction

It can be recalled that earlier the assistant director of tourism department was caught red-handed for taking bribe from an applicant who approached the officer to apply for the scheme.

Among the sixty beneficieries, many of them said to have given commission to these officers in return to a grant of subsidy of Rs 2 lakh. One of the beneficiary, who requested for anonymity said, he was forced to pay Rs 20,000 as commission, as he badly wanted the subsidy to buy taxi.