Nitin Gadkari vows to eliminate petrol, diesel vehicles in India soon: 'Not impossible'

livemint.com:

Gadkari has said that it is ‘one hundred per cent’ possible for the country to get rid of petrol and diesel cars altogether to make India a green economy. In an interview with news agency PTI, Gadkari said “It is difficult but not impossible. This is my vision." Without a timeline to meet this ambitious target, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways vowed to get rid of over 36 crore petrol and diesel vehicles in the country.

He said he wants to slash GST on hybrid vehicles. The union minister said the country spends ₹16 lakh crore on fuel imports. If we stop this fuel import, this money can be used to improve the lives of farmers, the villages can be more prosperous and youth can get employment.

Earlier too, the union minister had advocated the use of biofuels and alternative fuels to drive unprecedented growth in the energy and power sector. The union minister told PTI that a proposal to reduce GST on hybrid vehicles to 5% and 12% for flex engines has been already sent to the Finance Ministry which is considering the requisition. Gadkari said he firmly believes the country can end fuel import by promoting the use of biofuels.

The Union minister said he has been pitching for alternative fuels since 2004 and is confident that things will change in the coming five to seven years. "I cannot give you a date and year for this transformation to take place as it is very difficult. This is difficult but not impossible," PTI quoted Gadkari as saying.