The government has asked carmakers to consider manufacturing at least one or two models meant for physically challenged persons, Parliament was informed today.
"The government has been advising the car manufacturers to consider manufacturing at least one or two models of their cars suitable to be driven by the physically challenged persons," Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Arun Yadav said in a reply in the Lok Sabha.
The government is also providing excise duty concessions on vehicles meant for physically challenged people, he said.
Yadav said as per Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Indian carmakers, who were earlier providing vehicles with automatic transmission for physically challenged persons, had to discontinue the same since the demand for such vehicles is rare and making them available "off the shelf" is not economically viable.
He, however, said that SIAM has also informed that the Indian automobile industry is committed to manufacturing such vehicles, on specific order, to suit the disability of person.