The auto industry must get serious and work together with the government in country's best interest to make it pollution free, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Arvind Ganpat Sawant said at an ASSOCHAM event.
While the government is giving subsidy for electric vehicles due to high battery costs, R&D initiatives must be carried out in terms of metals, chemicals used to manufacture batteries to reduce costs, he said. "We are here to give support to all, first for mass transportation," Sawant added.
There is also a need to set up solar powered charging stations for electric vehicles. Further, the minister also said that like with IT boom came the problem of e-waste, similarly India must also think in terms of battery waste disposal. "Let us come up with a proposal to clear battery waste disposal because when we want to create a pollution free country, pollution created by battery waste should not be there."
Recalling his recent meeting with combustion engine manufacturers, the minister said, he was told that there are employees and ancillary units dependent on this, whereas in case of EVs, both components and employees required will be less. "So, the issue is what will happen to present employees, how are you going to go in this direction."
While the Department of Heavy Industry had invited Expression of Interest (EoI) seeking proposals for availing incentives under the Fame Scheme Phase II for deploying 5,000 electric buses on operational-cost-model basis across select cities, it received 15,000 applications to the magnitude of three times. Moreover, the government brought down the GST rate from 12 percent to five percent and removed cess, in order to promote electric mobility and incentivise the manufacturers, he added.
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