Kejriwal’s major push for e-vehicles in Delhi

NEW  DELHI: In a major push for e-vehicles in Delhi, apart from exempting battery operated carriages of paying road tax, the Delhi Government has issued notification of Electrical Vehicles Policy-2019 which seeks to encourage use of e vehicles. It will be valid for three years.

According to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the main objective of this policy is to speed up the economy of Delhi and reduce pollution. Out of all the new vehicles registered in Delhi by 2024, 25 per cent of the new vehicles will be electric.

Financial incentives will also be given in Delhi to promote electric vehicles. Two wheelers, auto rickshaws, e-rickshaws and vehicle carriers will get an incentive of up to Rs 30,000 and up to Rs 1.5 lakh on the car. State EV Fund, State EV Board and Dedicated EV Cell will be set up in Delhi to promote electronic vehicles and make this policy a success. The Chairman of the State EV Board will be the Transport Minister.

Kejriwal has said that if we talk about mile stone, at least 25 per cent of the new vehicles registered in Delhi by 2024 should have new vehicles, electrical vehicles. “Today, the percentage of electrical vehicles in Delhi is only 0.2 per cent. We want to take it up to 25 per cent. Apart from this, I think thousands of new jobs will be created. There will be new types of jobs in driving, selling, finance, servicing, charging etc,” he said.

Electrical vehicles are very expensive today and far beyond the reach of the common man. Polluting diesel and petrol vehicles are cheap. So people do not buy the former. The government is giving financial incentives to them so that more individuals buy it.

Apart from its own incentives, Kejriwal said that the Central government also has a plan. It is called Fame India Phase Two Scheme. A lot of incentives are also there, he insists. To overcome the charging problem, charging stations will also be built all over Delhi. In the first one year, 200 charging stations are being built across the national capital.