Context: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry recommends extension of the deadline of the Faster Adoption & Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles/FAME India schemePhase II by three more years.
- The deadline for the ongoing FAME India Phase II is March 31, 2024, with a budget outlay of Rs 10,000 crore.
Recommendations of Parliamentary Report On FAME India Scheme
- Holistic development of EV industry: Create a National policy on electric mobility, to enable a favorable environment for the EV industry and prevent policy uncertainty to promote a sustainable and clean transportation system in the country.
- Restore the subsidy on electric two-wheelers which was reduced to 15% from the original 40% . It is reported that reduction in subsidy since then has negatively impacted the sale of electric two- wheelers.
- Expand the targets: The government should consider increasing the number of EVs in the four-wheelers category and include private electric four-wheelers in the domain of the FAME II Scheme, with a cap based on the cost and battery capacity of the vehicle.
- Focus on the whole EV manufacturing ecosystem by establishing dedicated manufacturing hubs and industrial parks for manufacturing of batteries, cells and EV auto components.
- Allocation of Funds: The committee recommended more funds be allocated to BHEL to facilitate popularizing EV mobility.
- Facilitating EV mobility:
- Public sector role: PSU’s and government institutions should participate in the installation of charging stations in their premises.
- Incentivise the installation of charging stations to individual investors to achieve the goal of setting up charging stations pan- India.
- Women self-help groups and cooperative societies can assist in opening and operating charging stations with an assured monetary incentive.
FAME INDIA Scheme PHASE- II
- About: The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid & Electric Vehicles or FAME India Scheme is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP)
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Heavy industries and Public Enterprise.
- FAME India Scheme Features:
- Electrification of public and shared transportation systems.
- To incentivize the purchase of approximately 5 lakh three-wheelers, 7000 electric buses, and 35,000 four-wheelers
- Plans to establish 2700 charging stations in metros, smart cities, and hilly states, with coverage on highways.
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News Source: Down to Earth