Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, has released a skimpy plan to transform the Indian automobile industry in one-and-a-half decades by banning petrol and diesel vehicles from the roads. In an interview telecasted by PTI, Gadkari said that his vision was to eliminate all of India’s about 36 crore petrol and diesel cars, though he did not give a time frame for this huge stride.
As part of his mobility platform that promotes green vehicles, Gadkari has suggested lowering the GST to 5% on hybrid vehicles and 12% for flex-fuel cars. This measure is aimed at encouraging consumers to switch to electric vehicles and becoming more used to biofuels as a purposeful replacement for fossil fuels.
Some companies, such as Bajaj, TVS, and Hero, have already had a motivational push towards motorcycles with flex engines. On the one hand, appreciations come from the activists who have achieved environmental protection, while on the other, a transition is necessary to renewable energy. It is, however, proposed that if the complete decarbonization is not fully realized, it becomes impossible to address the climate crisis.
The President favors innovation and even notes the advances in adopting alternative fuels. He talks about how soon he will own a hydrogen fuel car, as he witnessed this new technology penetrating households via electric cars. In his speech, the other examples he discussed include Tata and Ashok Leyland introducing hydrogen trucks and the existence of biogas industries in the entire country.
Nitin Gadkari’s plan to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles symbolizes his intention to build a sustainable future for the automobile sector of India. However, achieving this mission without sincere cooperation and a holistic approach will be challenging.
