Telangana's Electric Vehicle Initiative: Transport Minister Drives Electric Car to Assembly
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Hyderabad, March 30 (NationPress) As part of its initiative to advance the adoption of electric vehicles, Telangana's Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar arrived at the state Assembly driving an electric car on Monday.
Joined by MLA Danam Nagender, the minister made the journey from the Ministers' Quarters to the Assembly in the eco-friendly vehicle.
Prabhakar stated that the state's government has rolled out an EV policy aimed at minimizing pollution and safeguarding the environment.
Under this policy, the government has declared a complete exemption from both road tax and registration tax for electric vehicles.
The minister mentioned that the government has thus far granted exemptions totaling around Rs 1,000 crore. To further advocate for EV adoption, the government plans to establish charging stations and necessary infrastructure.
He pointed out that EV manufacturers are currently offering discounts ranging from 10-20 percent on electric vehicles specifically for government employees, expressing gratitude to the various EV companies collaborating on this initiative.
The Transport Minister, representing the state government, urged all EV manufacturers to step forward and offer incentives to bolster the promotion of electric vehicles.
In a bid to encourage the use of electric vehicles as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-powered vehicles, the state government recently unveiled a program providing government employees with discounts of up to 20 percent on electric vehicles.
This initiative is touted to be the first of its kind in India.
The minister successfully negotiated discounts of up to 20 percent on both electric two-wheelers and four-wheelers for state government employees, following extensive discussions with leading EV manufacturers.
This initiative could result in savings of as much as Rs 4 lakh for approximately 5 lakh government employees in Telangana.
In 2024, the state government reaffirmed its commitment by announcing a complete exemption from road tax and registration fees for electric vehicles, covering two-wheelers, four-wheelers, taxis, autorickshaws, goods carriers, tractors, and buses under its public EV policy.