Amitabh Kant says EVS are important to fight air pollution
24 Jun 2024 CW Team
G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant emphasised the urgent need for improving urban air quality and advocated for a nationwide shift to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. He highlighted the economic viability of EVs and increasing consumer demand as reasons for this shift. Kant stated that transportation should be a major focus, aiming for all cities to adopt electric vehicles by 2030. He outlined specific targets, stating, "The priority should be that in the next four to five years, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and buses all transition to electric, and by 2030, even all four-wheelers should be electric."
Regarding government initiatives, Kant mentioned, "They have allocated about Rs 570 billion, which is almost $7 billion. It's one of the biggest programmes of the government," referring to the procurement of 10,000 buses. He also commended India's progress in renewable energy, noting that the country had exceeded COP21 targets with 200 gigawatts already generated.