Centre and Delhi Push Bold Policies Toward a Greener Future

Electric Vehicle (EV) is the buzzword in today’s world. In India, more and more people are turning towards EVs over time. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has been working relentlessly towards promoting the green energy revolution across the country. Recently, during the launch of electric cycles in Mumbai, the minister reiterated his conviction of transforming India into the leading manufacturer of EVs by 2030.

“When our government came to power in 2014, I spoke about electric-powered vehicles. At that time, nobody believed it; today it is a reality.” It won’t be wrong to compliment Gadkari, for the booming of EVs was a distant dream a few years back, as many questioned the problem of refilling stations, which is also being looked into and more refilling stations are coming up across the country.

The newly elected Delhi State Government, headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has taken a step ahead to promote EVs and has formulated norms for electric vehicle (EV) adoption. It also proposed an EV policy 2.0, aiming to make 95 percent of new vehicle registrations electric by 2027.

The Delhi state government also aims at generating over 20,000 employment.

Salient features of Delhi State Government’s EV policy 2.0:

Gradually phasing out compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and replacing them with EVs. This will apply to all the CNG-driven public transports like autorickshaws, cabs and other light-weight vehicles that run on CNG.

Building strong charging and battery swapping stations that would enable a city-wide network of charging and battery swapping stations.

More battery collection centers that would help in the disposal of the used batteries.

The Delhi state government has also agreed to extend the present EV policy for three months. It has agreed to continue the power subsidies for domestic consumers, farmers, and other categories.

While speaking to reporters, Transport Minister, Delhi State Government, Pankaj Singh reiterated that the new EV policy will not put a ban on any vehicles.

Delhi-ites will get some respite from the havoc of air pollution due to carbon emission in vehicles amounting to around 11 percent with the EVs taking to roads. This will give the city a breather apart from the green space.