Chinese firm proposes electric vehicles for cities, offers smartphones for CM scheme

PROPOSES A PILOT PROJECT OF ELECTRIC CARS AND BUSES IN AMRITSAR, AND THEN JALANDHAR, LUDHIANA

CHANDIGARH: Chinese major Yinlong has proposed to launch a pilot project to run electric cars and buses in Amritsar, followed by smart cities of Jalandhar and Ludhiana, and to set up an electrical vehicle manufacturing facility in the state.

The company also made a proposal to Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to provide mobile handsets, under its brand name Leeco, for the Captain Smart Connect scheme, a key pre-poll promise to give 50 lakh smart phones to youth. The Punjab government has made a provision of ₹10 crore for the scheme in the budget presented last month.

The company will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Punjab government through ZTEsoft Technologies to facilitate the state in getting financial assistance for a series of projects, including smart technologies for smart cities, venture funding, development in the areas of information technology, incubations and startups.

This was decided at a meeting here between CM and a delegation of Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Co Ltd led by its chief executive officer, India, Alex Li.

The scheme is proposed to be launched on the lines of similar schemes already implemented in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh under a lease model, which enables revenue generation through sale of tickets on commercial electric vehicles.

Li told the CM that the transition from conventional petrol/ diesel run vehicles to electric vehicles.

The chief minister offered the company help in setting up an electric car factory and said his government was formulating a policy to encourage the use of electric cars, which were energy-saving and environmentfriendly.