Giriraj Singh: EV Bookings Doubled After PM Modi's Appeal
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday, June 8, 2026, cited a surge in green mobility adoption across India, stating that electric vehicle bookings doubled and compressed natural gas vehicle sales reached approximately 78,000 units following a public appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In his post on X, Singh wrote: 'माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी की अपील के बाद ईवी बुकिंग्स दोगुनी हो गई और सीएनजी वाहनों की बिक्री लगभग 78,000 यूनिट्स तक पहुंच गई' ['After the appeal of honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, EV bookings doubled and CNG vehicle sales reached approximately 78,000 units']. He added that the BJP government's sustained encouragement has given fresh momentum to a 'green mobility revolution' in the country.
Context
Prime Minister Modi has repeatedly made public appeals urging Indian citizens to shift toward cleaner modes of transport, framing the transition as both an environmental and economic imperative. Singh's post positions the latest sales figures as a direct response to that outreach, attributing the uptick to the Prime Minister's personal intervention rather than to subsidy cycles or market forces alone.
India has pursued a dual-track clean mobility strategy — promoting battery electric vehicles alongside CNG — to reduce dependence on crude oil imports, curb urban air pollution, and work toward its 2070 net-zero commitment. The government has consistently bundled this push under the Make in India umbrella.
Policy Backdrop
India's policy architecture for clean vehicles dates back to the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan of 2013, which set the foundational targets for electric and hybrid vehicle adoption. The FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme, launched in 2015, provided demand-side incentives and manufacturing support; Phase I ran through 2019, and Phase II extended the subsidy framework through 2022.
Successive BJP-led governments have layered public communication campaigns on top of these fiscal instruments, using Prime Ministerial addresses and social media outreach to shape consumer sentiment. Singh's post is consistent with this pattern of attributing market outcomes to political leadership and governance messaging.
Stakeholders and Impact
Domestic EV manufacturers stand to benefit from any demand surge, as higher booking volumes can justify expanded production capacity and attract further investment in battery supply chains. CNG vehicle buyers, particularly in urban and peri-urban markets, gain from a growing refuelling network and relatively lower running costs compared with petrol or diesel alternatives.
For Bihar and other states where CNG infrastructure is still expanding, a national-level demand signal can accelerate state government decisions on city gas distribution tenders and public transport fleet upgrades. The figures cited by Singh, if sustained, would represent a meaningful acceleration in India's clean vehicle transition.
What's Next
Analysts tracking India's mobility sector will watch for further revisions to EV subsidy norms and new state-level CNG network expansion tenders in upcoming policy cycles. The government is also expected to outline the next phase of demand incentives as earlier FAME provisions have wound down.
Whether the momentum cited by Singh translates into sustained sales growth will depend on the pace of charging and refuelling infrastructure rollout, financing availability for first-time buyers, and the trajectory of global battery component prices — factors that public appeals alone cannot fully address.