New Delhi–Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the government is seeking ways to increase India’s exports to the automotive global supply and also attempting to implement a scrapping policy for old vehicles to reduce vehicular pollution.
“The automotive sector is on the road towards growth and success with a turnover of Rs 4, 50,000 crore that is generating many jobs. The government is seeking ways to ensure that a large part of the global supply can be exported from India,” he said.
Elaborating on automobile industry’s support to curb pollution and agreeing to move straight to BS-VI from BS-IV, he said: “We are attempting to implement a scrapping policy for old vehicles, which will help reduce pollution.”
Speaking via a recorded video message at an event organised by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the minister said five lakh accidents occur annually leading to 2.5 lakh deaths and India needs the industry’s support to address the issue of accident spots across the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Tata Motors’ CEO and MD Guenter Butschek said: “The good news is that new horizons like safety norms, GST and the scrappage policy are unfolding and will give us the opportunity to counter challenges.”
A British official said that in a bid to reduce pollution, his government is focusing on manufacturing ultra-low emission vehicles.
“There are four policy drivers: air quality, energy security, carbon and inward investments. The Government will spend more than 600 million pounds between 2015 and 2021 to support uptake and manufacturing of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles and keep the UK on track for all new cars to be effectively zero emission by 2040,” said Robert Stephen Moran, Deputy Head, Office for Low Emission Vehicles, in the British government Department for Transport, Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
