Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that his aim is to get rid of petrol and diesel cars altogether in India to make the country a green economy. When asked about whether it is possible for India to eliminate petrol and diesel cars completely, he told news agency PTI, “One hundred per cent. It is difficult but not impossible. This is my vision.”
India spends ₹16 lakh crore on fuel imports and this money can be used for improving the life of farmers, villages will be prosperous and the youth will get employment, he told PTI.
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Proposal on hybrids sent to finance ministry
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, the minister said asserting that the country can end fuel import by promoting the use of biofuels.
Pitching since 2004
Nitin Gadkari said he has been pushing for alternative fuels since 2004 and is confident things will change in the coming five to seven years. He said, “I cannot give you a date and year for this transformation to take place as it is very difficult. This is difficult but not impossible.”
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He said he firmly believes that given the speed with which electric vehicles are being introduced, the coming era will be of alternative and biofuels and this dream will come true.
Nitin Gadkari says: ‘I roam around in a car that runs on hydrogen.’
Auto companies such as Bajaj, TVS and Hero are also planning to manufacture motorcycles using flex engines, he said, adding, “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.”
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“Tatas and Ashok Leyland have introduced trucks that run on hydrogen. There are trucks that run on LNG/CNG. There are 350 factories across the country of bio-CNG,” he said, asserting, “Definitely, a revolution is taking place. The fuel imports will end and this country will become self-reliant – Atmanirbhar Bharat. I strongly believe in this.”