Shafaqna Pakistan: Authorities in New Delhi on Monday announced a new electric vehicle (EV) policy aimed at reducing air pollution by encouraging residents to replace older vehicles with cleaner alternatives.
New Delhi and its metropolitan region, home to around 30 million people, is regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals due to emissions from power plants, heavy traffic, and the burning of waste and crop residue.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the initiative as “a historic step towards effectively controlling vehicular pollution in the capital and promoting clean transportation.”
The policy will take effect on July 1 and remain in force until March 31, 2030. Under the plan, the government will offer incentives ranging from 5,000 Indian rupees to 100,000 Indian rupees for scrapping old vehicles and replacing them with electric ones.
Buyers of new electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers will also get incentives of 30,000 rupees ($320) and 50,000 rupees ($530) respectively. Starting January 2027, the government will only register electric three-wheelers and small trucks, the chief minister said. And from April 2028, only new electric two-wheeler vehicles will be registered, she added.
A study last year estimated that 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution. Levels of cancer-causing PM 2.5 microparticles have hit more than 300 micrograms per cubic metre in the city, 20 times the World Health Organization´s recommended daily maximum.
Source: The News
