Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that the Union Cabinet has approved a plan aimed at bringing down pollution levels in Delhi and the National Capital Region. He added that the initiative will improve air quality, promote clean transportation, and benefit vehicle owners by supporting the transition to less polluting vehicles.
Here’s everything you need to know about the chart:
The two-year scheme is designed to reduce air pollution in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and promote cleaner mobility. It will be funded through the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
The scheme will be implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), in coordination with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The total financial outlay for this scheme is $9,585 crore, which includes $5,041 crore from the central government and additional support through tax concessions from participating states. About 2.07 lakh vehicle owners are expected to benefit from this scheme, including about 1.91 lakh truck owners and more than 16,000 bus owners.
The scheme will be overseen by an empowered committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, with members including the CEO of NITI Aayog, ministers of MoHUA, MoRTH, MoPNG, DFS, and principal secretaries of participating NCR states, while the member secretary of NCRPB will act as member convener.
At the district level, implementation and monitoring will be carried out by district collectors and district magistrates.
BS-IV vehicles will be scrapped
Under the scheme, owners of trucks and buses registered in Delhi-NCR that meet BS-IV or older emission norms will be encouraged to scrap their vehicles or replace them with BS-VI or cleaner vehicles, including electric vehicles (EVs). By accelerating the transition to clean transportation technologies, the scheme is expected to significantly reduce vehicular emissions and contribute to improving air quality across the Delhi-NCR.
Scrapping of BS-III and older vehicles must be done at registered vehicle scrapping facilities. BS-IV vehicles can be scrapped or sold outside the NCR region. Owners will then be required to purchase BS-VI vehicles, cleaner vehicles or electric vehicles within the NCR, the press release said.
Why this scheme?
According to the report on “Source distribution of particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) in NCR” prepared by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), published in August 2018, the transport sector contributes 14 per cent of PM 2.5, 40 per cent of carbon monoxide (CO), and 63 per cent of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in Delhi-NCR. In the transportation sector, trucks and buses account for 36% of PM2.5 emissions, representing only 3% of the total fleet.
Hence, the new fleet is expected to significantly reduce vehicular pollution, the press release said.
Advantages under the scheme:
The center will provide support with a 5 percent interest on loans for a period of five years, in addition to monthly fuel vouchers of up to $4800 depending on the car category. It will also provide lump sum incentives for purchasing electric cars and their benefits through the trading of certificates of deposit.
State governments will waive registration fees and expand exemption up to 100 per cent on motor vehicle tax on new vehicles, and 50 per cent concession on used vehicles for 10 years. They will also waive outstanding liabilities on older vehicles registered under the programme.
Participating vehicle OEMs will offer an 8 percent discount on ex-showroom prices for eligible vehicles.
The scheme will be implemented through a fully integrated digital portal, which will enable real-time eligibility verification, automated processing of benefit subsidy claims, monthly enrollment of fuel vouchers, and monitoring of emission reduction results.
Central government benefits will continue for five years from the date of registration of the new vehicle, ensuring long-term impact beyond the two-year registration period.
