New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday handed over two e-rickshaws to the Ambassador of Senegal to India EL Hadji Ibou Boye. It was done to promote clean energy to reduce carbon footprints and to boost the partnership between the two countries in the clean energy sector. India is supplying 250 e-rickshaws with lithium-ion batteries on a grant basis to Senegal. This is in response to the request of Senegal President Macky Sall to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said. The supply of 250 e-rickshaws is expected to assist Senegal in adopting clean and efficient energy sources in the area of urban public transport, the statement said.
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EAM @SushmaSwaraj symbolically handed over e-rickshaw to Ambassador of #Senegal El Hadji Ibou Boye. India is supplying 250 e-rickshaws to Senegal responding to request by President @Macky_Sall to PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/EgQpWOpNYz
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) November 16, 2018
At the event, the Union Minister and the Ambassador of Senegal took a short ride on an e-rickshaw to experience the ease of mobility that the vehicle would bring for the common man. The Ambassador thanked India, saying people of his country will be very happy to receive the vehicle. He said, “Please accept my thanks and gratitude for this gift of 250 e-rickshaw to my country. People of Senegal will be very happy to receive these vehicles which will be a novelty for them as an environment-friendly option.” He hoped e-rickshaws will gain popularity in Senegal and soon become a common sight on the roads of the country.
The President of Senegal had taken a liking to the e-rickshaw after seeing them on Indian roads. Later, during a meeting with Prime Minister Modi, he had requested for the supply of the tricycle. PM Modi had happily agreed for the supply of 250 e-rickshaws to Senegal, said T. S. Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations), MEA. The Ambassador said,
I hope the clean energy initiative undertaken by India and Senegal will not only transform our public transport system but also make a difference to the lives of the common man and those plying the e-rickshaws.
Earlier in September at the ‘Global Mobility Summit’ in Delhi, government of India promised to put in place a stable policy regime around electric and other automated vehicles, emphasising on the significance of clean energy as a tool to reduce carbon footprints in the fight against climate change.
(With inputs from Press Trust Of India)
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