Agencies
NAGPUR, Apr 1: As part of his ambition to make India a green economy, Union minister Nitin Gadkari wants to slash GST on hybrid vehicles and has vowed to rid the country entirely of the over 36 crore petrol and diesel vehicles.
“One hundred per cent,” Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, said when asked whether it is possible for India to get rid of petrol and diesel cars altogether.
The proposal to reduce GST on hybrid vehicles to five per cent and to 12 per cent for flex engines has been sent to the Finance ministry which is considering the requisition, Gadkari said.
The minister said he firmly believes the country can end fuel import by promoting the use of biofuels.
Environmental activists welcomed Gadkari’s vision for increasing green mobility, but also struck a word of caution by flagging the use of fossil fuels in the production of electricity.
Gadkari said he has been pitching for alternative fuels since 2004 and is confident things will change in the coming five to seven years.
“I cannot give you a date and year for this transformation to take place as it is very difficult.
“I roam around in a car that runs on hydrogen. You can see electric cars in every other household. People who used to say this was impossible, have changed their views now and started believing in what I have been saying for the last 20 years,” the minister said.
