India will become hub for automobile manufacturing in next 5 years: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday, 17 August, said he believes that India would become a hub for vehicle manufacture within the next 5 years. He said almost all reputed automobile brands are present in India and the country is working on technologies involving ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied natural gas (LNG), electric and green hydrogen.

"As we are working on technologies involving ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied natural gas (LNG), electric and green hydrogen, I believe that India will become. A hub for automobile manufacturing in the next five years," Gadkari said while interacting with media. 

PM calls for active participation of industry 

Earlier, on August 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the Investor Summit in Gujarat via video conference. He had said, “Be it ethanol, hydrogen fuel or electric mobility, with these priorities of the government, active participation of the industry is very important." He had further said, “In the midst of this change, it is equally important to protect our environment, our land, our resources and our raw material."

PM Modi launched National Automobile Scrappage Policy 

On August 13, PM Modi had launched the National Automobile Scrappage Policy. This policy was first announced by Nirmala Sitharaman, Union finance minister in February, during her Budget speech. The policy recommends “fitness tests” for private and commercial vehicles that are more than 20 and 15 years old respectively. The registration of such cars will be automatically cancelled if a ‘fitness certificate’ is not provided.

National Automobile Scrappage Policy to bring in investments and create jobs

The fitness assessments will take place in government-approved fitness centres. Scrapping is possible anywhere in the country, regardless of where the car is registered. A road tax credit of up to 25 per cent for new personal vehicles and 15  per cent  for new commercial vehicles, as well as a 5  per cent  reduction against the scrapping certificate, have also been proposed as part of the strategy. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari had said in March that the strategy will bring in investments worth more than Rs 10 billion and create up to 50,000 jobs.

(With inputs from ANI)

(IMAGE: PTI)