- Saturday, April 27, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Shubham Ghosh
DAYS after India’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari said the country is going to increase the production of alternative fuel ethanol since people are facing problems due to constant hike in prices of petrol and diesel, Vijay Rupani, the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat released an electric vehicle policy aiming to see a fast rise in electric vehicles on the roads of the states in the next four years. To achieve the target, the state government will address the infrastructure and even provide exemption from registration fees and subsidies.
Informing about the move after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister released the Electric Vehicle Policy 2021, the state’s information department announced: “With an aim to witness 2 lakh electric vehicles on the roads of Gujarat in next 4 years, Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupani declares Gujarat Electric Vehicle Policy 2021.”
Among some of the targets of the new policy are: increasing the use of e-vehicles in Gujarat in the next four years, making Gujarat a hub for e-vehicles and various materials that are related to it, encouraging young startups and investors in the field of electric mobility, controlling air pollution and keeping the environment safe, etc.
‘Will save fuel, reduce CO2 emission’
The policy also said that Gujarat currently has 278 charging stations for charging e-vehicles and infrastructure for more 250 will come up, taking the total number to 528. It also said that petrol pumps will be given approval for setting up charging stations and charging facilities will be made at housing and commercial infrastructures.
It added that e-vehicle registered at Gujarat Regional Transport Office will be exempted from registration fee and that will see fuel worth Rs 5 crore ($672,000) be saved over the next four years. It will also see reduction of six lakh (0.6 million) ton of carbon dioxide. Subsidies upto Rs 20,000 ($267) for two-wheelers, Rs 50,000 ($672) for three-wheelers and Rs 1.5 lakh ($2,017) for four wheelers will also be directly credited to bank accounts through direct benefit transfer.
As per the document, the government of Gujarat will encourage and give subsidy to e-vehicle buyers along with benefits from the Indian government’s Fame-2 scheme to encourage e-vehicles.
