In a significant push for the utilization of clean energy in urban mobility, the Maharashtra government has decided to procure or rent only electric vehicles for use by the state and urban local bodies from January, stated reports. Previously, this was supposed to be undertaken from April 1, the deadline has, however, now been preponed to January.
This proclamation was made by Maharashtra Environment Minister, Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday, January 2. He took to Twitter to state, "Keeping our commitment to clean mobility and encouraging citizens, the Govt of Maharashtra has decided to implement the decision of Purchasing or Renting only Electric Vehicles for Govt/ Urban Local Bodies/ Corporations from 1st January 2022 instead of 1st April 2022."
Thackeray added, "I’m grateful to CM Uddhav Thackeray ji, DCM Ajit Pawar ji and RM Balasaheb Thorat ji for their support to @MahaEnvCC’s ambitious climate action policies to ensure the Govt actions further encourage citizens for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience actions".
According to reports, Thackeray believes that electric vehicles will be one of the ways to battle air pollution. In light of this, the state also proclaimed its Electric Vehicle Policy to promote the utilization of electric vehicles. The state hopes to achieve a 25 per cent EV share in public transport in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad.
Apart from this, the policy also looks to convert 15 per cent of the MSRTC's buses fleet into electric by 2025. In addition to this, it wants to make Maharashtra the foremost producer of battery-driven motors in India in terms of yearly production capability.
Also Read: Mumbai-Mira Bhayandar Connectivity Is A Growing Need, Says Aaditya Thackeray
Share
Tweet
