National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 soon
The National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 is expected to be launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a few weeks time. This was stated by Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Praful Patel on November 26, 2012. The Minister stated this during a conference on ‘Diesel for Future: Economy & Environment’ in the Capital organised by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister also told journalists that his ministry was all for cutting duty on luxury cars imported from Europe as part of the proposed India-European Union free trade agreement (FTA). He said that by cutting duties it would benefit the interests of Indian small car exports to Europe.
Several car makers in India like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India and Ford India export a sizeable number of their small cars to European nations. In the 2012-13 annual budget, basic customs duty on imported vehicles was hiked to 75pc from the prevailing 60pc. This was done for vehicles costing more than US$ 40,000 and with engine capacity of over 3,000cc for petrol vehicles and 2,500cc for diesel vehicles.
As for the electric vehicle mobility plan, the Minister said that the government had an ambitious plan on anvil and the same would be officially launched by the Prime Minister. Among the front runners for manufacturing electric vehicles in India would be Mahindra and Mahindra which acquired Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car Company in India. Meanwhile delegates at the SIAM conference addressed the need to recognise diesel as a viable solution for energy security and lower carbon footprints.
Strategies were also suggested in pricing and taxation to enable government integrate diesel as an important energy driver for Transportation sector. The Ministerial session was addressed by the Chief Guest Praful Patel and Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Human Resource Development. The conference was also addressed by Vikram S. Kirloskar, Vice President, SIAM & Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Anant J. Talaulicar, Chairman, SIAM Diesel Group and CMD, Cummins India, Lowell Paddock, President & Managing Director, General Motors India, Ashok Dhar, President – Industrial Marketing, Reliance Industries, Dr. Kirit Parikh, Chairman, IRADE, L.N. Gupta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and Nitin Gokarn, CEO, NATRIP.
Speaking at the conference, Praful Patel noted, "The perception that diesel is dirty is no more valid. This needs to be changed as contemporary diesel vehicles have higher fuel efficiency; it is as clean as any petroleum fuel". Jitin Prasada said "Diesel consumption and technologies are here to stay as diesel has emerged as a better fuel, as they are efficient in terms of consumption."