File Photo: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Government will soon come out with a policy offering financial incentives of up to Rs 1.5 lakh on surrender of vehicles that are over 10 years old to check pollution and ease traffic, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari today said.
A proposal in this regard is being formulated and the Finance Ministry's nod will be sought on it, he said.
"We are bringing such a scheme that if you sell your old vehicle you will get a certificate which on being produced at the time of new purchase will get you a discount of up to Rs 50,000.
"For small vehicles like cars it will be up to Rs 30,000. Besides, there will be exemptions in taxes and total benefits for big vehicles like trucks will be up to Rs 1.5 lakh," Mr Gadkari said on the sidelines of an global conference on public transport innovation in New Delhi.
The plan is to set up 8-10 industrial units near ports like Kandla which will not only give certificates for accepting old vehicles but would recycle vehicles from India and abroad and thereby give a boost to employment and economy.
"It is a very beneficial industry and would create huge employment," he said, adding that there is an urgent need to recycle as more than 10 years old vehicles were running on roads with old technology which lacks not only safety norms but creates pollution.
"We are going to recommend the scheme to the Finance Ministry... If incentives will be given, it will be easy for people to surrender their old vehicles and get new vehicles of international specifications...may be of Euro 6 standard," he said.
He urged the manufactures to build Euro 6 compliant vehicles as early as possible saying pollution was a big concern for India.
"Already National Green Tribunal has given a decision on pollution.... Manufactures now seeking time for four to five years. Manufacturers can as early as possible go to the mark of Euro 5 and 6 and I suggest if they could go for Euro 6," he said.
Also he called upon foreign manufactures to supply bio-fuel based quality buses at economical prices given the fact that India is a huge market for them.
"We have 1,50,000 buses here. In your country you have 2,000-4,000 buses. Buses here are in lakhs and given the economic viability you can consider supply good quality vehicles at reasonable prices," he said.
Also he asked manufactures to build vehicles based on bio-fuel like bio-ethanol or diesel instead of only diesel version saying government will incentivise such vehicles.
India spends a huge Rs 8 lakh crore annually on import of crude, and to check it efforts are on to promote ethanol in states like Uttar Pradesh which will also hugely benefit farmers, he said.
Alliance (WASH).