Mr Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Govt of India said that in order to reduce pollution levels in the country, the Government is aiming at an INR 2 lakh crore ethanol economy from its present size of INR 20,000 crore as the development of an extensive ethanol industry would mean new markets for the country's biomass and agriculture sector. Mr Gadkari highlighted that the flex-fuel vehicles will play a crucial role to decarbonize the transport sector, making it sustainable for the environment, economy, and ecology.

We are going to make it compulsory for all vehicle manufacturers to make flex-fuel engines that can run on more than one fuel to reduce pollution, said Mr Gadkari. The Minister also cited examples of Brazil, Canada, and the USA, where most automobile companies manufacture flex-fuel engines. We will tap into the strength of the agriculture sector to produce energy and power. The production of bio-CNG from agricultural waste will solve the crisis of air pollution. We also want to promote the use of green hydrogen, which can help us accomplish the zero-carbon emission mission, he said.

He further said that the government intends to have electric vehicle sales penetration of 30 per cent for private cars, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, 40 per cent for buses and 80 per cent for two and three-wheelers by 2030. Mr Gadkari noted that there is a substantial response seen in the domestic market for electric vehicles like electric rickshaws, cars, scooters, and electric bicycles. The Minister emphasised that, simultaneously, research on developing high-efficiency batteries and EV components is the need of the hour.

To encourage electric vehicle, battery-operated vehicles have been exempted from payment of fees for issue of renewal of registration and new registration mark he added. India, the minister said has made significant progress towards improving green energy access over the last decade and the government plans to shift public transportation to clean energy sources. The generation of bio-CNG from agriculture waste will solve the problem of air pollution caused by the burning of agricultural waste in the field, he said. The Ministry, said Mr Gadkari, aims at developing efficient and affordable public transport systems such as metro rail, rapid rail transit, intercity bus services and monorail.

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