Delhi CM Launches ‘Switch Delhi’ Campaign, Calls To Adopt Electric Vehicle To Fight Air Pollution

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (February 4) launched ‘Switch Delhi’, an electric vehicle mass awareness campaign, to sensitize citizens about the benefits of switching to electric vehicles. Delhi government has rolled out incentives on the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) among all the states. “Our vision is that by 2024, 25 per cent of new vehicles must be electric. Approximately Rs 30,000 subsidies are to be given for 2/3-wheelers while Rs 1.5 lakh for 4-wheelers. We are starting the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign today to make people aware of clean vehicles,” said CM Kejriwal in his video conference.

Also Read: Budget 2021: Experts Analyse Budget Allocations For Clean Air Initiatives

Appealing to the people to take part in the movement, CM Kejriwal said,

We have to turn our EV adoption movement into a mass movement, a ‘jan andolan’, to form a collective commitment to decrease pollution.

Let's switch to Electric Vehicles and save our environment. Launching a mass awareness campaign – 'Switch Delhi' | LIVE https://t.co/FZftMrXnI8

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 4, 2021

The government launched the campaign to inform, encourage and motivate every person in Delhi to switch from polluting vehicles to zero-emission EVs. All the hired cars being engaged by various departments of the Delhi government will switch to EVs within six months. The Chief Minister said that the focus should be on the problem of air pollution which haunts the state and the health of its citizens.

Over the last year, the people of Delhi have fought a courageous fight against Corona. They overcame all odds to defeat three waves of Corona. While all the people of Delhi deserve credit for this, it should not take away our focus from the long-term challenges facing Delhi. One such challenge is air pollution. To address the vehicular pollution in Delhi, in August 2020, the Delhi government notified the landmark Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy. It has been called the most progressive EV policy in India and among the best globally, he added.

The Chief Minister informed that the state government has made road tax and registration fees for the EVs completely free. The policy has been created to promote the adoption of EVs on a large scale that cannot run on petrol. The government will also issue tenders to develop 100 public charging stations spread across the state.

Also Read: Delhi Cabinet Approves Electric Vehicle Policy, Which Aims To Fight Air Pollution By Promoting EVs

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.