All govt officials should use EVs: Nitin Gadkari during launch of Go Electric campaign
New Delhi: Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday made a case for making it mandatory to use electric vehicles for all officials in government ministries and departments. He also suggested that government should give subsidies to buy electric cooking appliances instead of giving support for buying cooking gas to households. Addressing at the launch Go Electric campaign, Gadkari said, “Why don’t we provide subsidy on electric cooking appliances. We already provide a subsidy on cooking gas. ”
He was of the view that electricity cooking is clean and will also reduce import dependence on gas. Gadkari suggested that the use of electric vehicles should be made mandatory for all government officials.
He, further, urged Power Minister R K Singh to make it mandatory to use electric vehicles for officials in his department saying he will do so for his departments.
He said that the use of 10,000 electric vehicles in Delhi can alone save Rs 30 crore per month. On this occasion, Singh also announced that a fuel cell bus service will be launched from Delhi to Agra and Delhi to Jaipur soon.
On the campaign launch event “Go Electric”, Uday Narang, Chairman, Omega Seiki Mobility said: “We are elated to see that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Power are equally inclined towards the electrification drive of the nation. From setting up 2,877 charging stations in 68 cities to incentivising the EVs, the government is wholeheartedly supporting the EV stakeholders and players in the country. The “Go Mobility” campaign is designed in such versatile manner that it will benefit both the EV manufacturers and customers.”
“The government’s vision of initiating Green hydrogen in the commercial vehicle could be a game-changer move which would help in eliminating the crude requirement and imports in all possible ways. India imports around 94 million tonnes of crude oil per year which of course negatively impacts our economy and the environment as well due to such heavy consumption. The Government has shown us the direction today and it is our responsibility to escalate the drive exponentially,” Narang further added.
