 "electric vehicles")
The Chhattisgarh government’s policy for electric vehicles (EVs) has helped the state register more than 100 per cent growth in sales in the last one year compared to the vehicles sold in a decade, senior officials have said.
Chhattisgarh transport department officials have attributed the state's EV policy for the push.
The policy, which was introduced in July last year, aims at making the state an EV manufacturing hub, creating employment, and reducing environmental degradation.
According to data received from the transport department, the number of EVs sold over the past decade till July 2022 stood at 33,922. “From July 2022 to July 2023, 35,740 vehicles were sold in Chhattisgarh,” one of the senior officials said. This took the number of EVs registered in the state to 69,662, which is a surge of 105.36 per cent compared to July 2022.
Chhattisgarh Transport Commissioner Dipanshu Kabra said the policy’s objective was giving subsidies to the buyers. “To avail of the benefit, the vehicle seller or dealer must provide their bank account details. The department will transfer an amount equivalent to 10 per cent of the vehicle’s value, up to a maximum of Rs. 1.5 lakh, directly to the buyer’s account,” Kabra said. The department has disbursed Rs. 8.99 crore of Rs. 14.29 crore set aside for subsidies to 7,656 EV owners.
In December last, 404 beneficiaries received subsidies amounting to more than Rs. 80 lakh in the first phase. While Rs. 1.56 crore was distributed as subsidies to 888 beneficiaries in the second phase, it was Rs. 2.21 crore to 1,652 beneficiaries in the third phase, Rs. 98 lakh to 613 beneficiaries in the fourth phase, Rs. 2.50 crore to 1,302 beneficiaries in the fifth phase, and Rs. 94 lakh to 636 beneficiaries in the sixth phase.
The seventh phase is underway to disburse subsidies of Rs. 5.30 crore to 2,161 beneficiaries.
