Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the state government has initiated the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign to encourage electric vehicles and appealed to people to purchase such vehicles to curb the pollution in the city.
Kejriwal said his government will deploy only electric vehicles for different purposes in the ensuing six weeks.
He requested delivery chains and big companies, resident welfare associations, market associations, malls, and cinema halls to encourage electric vehicles and set up charging stations at their locations.
“I also want to appeal to the youth to purchase an electric vehicle as their first vehicle.” He appealed to people to make the campaign a mass movement.
The Delhi government’s electric vehicle policy is considered one of the best globally and it's high time now to implement it with obligation, he said.
“In ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign, awareness will be created about benefits of electric vehicles and how it can contribute to making Delhi clean and pollution-free. I appeal to people to take part in the campaign to promote the replacement of polluting petrol and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles and make a contribution towards a pollution-free Delhi,” he expressed.
Under its electric vehicle policy, the Delhi government has planned widespread subsidies on procurement of electric two-wheelers and four-wheelers, besides waiving road tax and registration charges, he said.
More than 6,000 electric vehicles have been procured since the policy launch in August 2020. The government has also issued tenders for setting up 100 charging stations across the city, Kejriwal said.
The government has set a striving target of 25 percent electric vehicles among total vehicle registrations in Delhi by 2024, he further.