MUMBAI: Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday cleared the much awaited electric vehicles policy to encourage manufacturing and use of green vehicles.
Under the policy, the industries department has offered a slew of benefits for manufacturing, creation of infrastructure and consumers.
Officials said that this policy was required to push the BJP led move to switch to electric vehicles by 2030. Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has been pushing for electric vehicles and the first charging station was set up by an oil marketing company in Nagpur.
“We are looking to give incentives at the manufacturing level as well as at the consumer level to create a buying atmosphere for these vehicles,” said a senior official from the industries department. The biggest issues that companies who are already into production of green vehicles is that of charging stations and the policy aims to address that.
Under the policy electricity rates for charging stations that will set up under the policy will be on par with the residential tariffs. Vehicle companies will be able to set up charging stations even at petrol pumps after all the safety norms are followed. “We have also proposed subsidy to companies who set up charging stations in the state,” said an official. The state government has proposed 25% investment (maximum of Rs 10 lakh per charging station) the first 250 stations they set up. “We have studied many similar policies that are currently in force in other cities as well as other countries and the best practises were adopted,” said the official. Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have similar policies in their states.
Meanwhile, in a rare policy extension, the government has also announced waived of road tax and registration charges for e-vehicles in the state and also a 15% subsidy for the first one lakh vehicles that are registered in the state. For two-wheelers the cap for the rebate is Rs 5000, Rs 12,000 is the cap for three-wheelers and for four-wheelers it is upto Rs 1 lakh. The rebate will be reverted in the account of the person in whoes name the vehicle is registered in three months from the date of purchase.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
