Need to follow consistent EV policy, no need for company-specific sops: FICCI EV Committee Chair
The Hindu
Ms. Motwani also noted that the industry body is also pushing for the inclusion of electric cars priced up to ₹20 lakh to get incentives under the third iteration of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) India scheme.
The government should not dilute Make in India initiative and follow a consistent policy, Ficci EV Committee Chairperson Sulajja Firodia Motwani said amid a push from American electric carmaker Tesla for special sops to set up its factory in the country.
Ms. Motwani, the founder and CEO of Kinetic Green which sells battery-operated three-wheelers, scooters, e-cycles, and buggies, also emphasised creating a holistic ecosystem for the growth of the electric vehicle segment.
She also batted for the continuation of incentives for buying EVs to sustain the demand for the next few years.
Ms. Motwani also noted that the industry body is also pushing for the inclusion of electric cars priced up to ₹20 lakh to get incentives under the third iteration of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) India scheme.
"I strongly feel that the Make in India policies that the government has put in place, there should not be any reversal because now people have started investing in local manufacturing," Ms. Motwani told PTI in an interaction.
If not followed diligently, the manufacturers would again shift to importing components from other countries including China, she added.
When asked if U.S. carmaker Tesla should get policy support to enter the Indian market, Ms. Motwani said: "As far as the entry of some of the premium car makers like Tesla goes I don't know the details about the proposal but I believe it's linked to a large investment..But I still feel personally there should not be confusion and the policy should be consistent.
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.