LAUNCH OF ‘SWITCH DELHI’ CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Delhi government is amongst the first state governments in India to notify an electric vehicle policy

The Delhi government's focus has been on establishing connectivity in every part of Delhi along with bringing an environmentfriendly transport system. To fulfill this, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government became one of the first state governments to draft an ambitious Electric Vehicle Policy and then in August 2020 the government notified this. The Delhi government launched the Electric Vehicle Policy under which it aims to waive off the registration fee, road tax, and provides an incentive of upto 1.5 lakh for new cars. Through this policy, the government aims to generate employment to give a boost to Delhi's economy and reduce pollution levels in the national capital. The Delhi EV policy envisages that 25% of all new vehicle registrations should be Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) by 2024. Under this policy, the Delhi government will give an incentive of up to Rs 30,000 for two-wheelers, autos, erickshaws and freight vehicles while for cars, it will provide an incentive of up to Rs 1.5 lakh. To expedite electric vehicle adoption, CM Arvind Kejriwal launched ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign on February 5. The CM appealed to people to buy electric vehicles to combat pollution in the city. The Delhi government has also planned to hire only electric vehicles for governmental purposes in the next six months. The Delhi government asked delivery chains and big companies, resident welfare associations, market associations, malls and cinema halls to promote electric vehicles and set up charging stations at their premises. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to the youth to buy an electric vehicle as their first vehicle. He appealed to people to make the campaign a mass movement. The Delhi government's electric vehicle policy is being hailed as one of the best policies in the world. Through the 'Switch Delhi' campaign, awareness will be created about the benefits of electric vehicles and how it can contribute to making Delhi clean and pollution-free. Appeal was made to the people to take part in the campaign to promote the replacement of polluting petrol and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles and make a contribution towards a pollution-free Delhi. The Delhi government has been combating the menace of air pollution through multiple measures. In the first week of the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign – which was launched by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to promote electric vehicles (EV) in the city – the government will focus on outreach regarding the two-wheeler segment including electric bikes and e-scooters to accelerate its adoption. Delhi’s EV Policy especially focuses on incentivizing the purchase of two-wheelers, which comprise two-thirds of all vehicles in Delhi and cause maximum pollution. Incentives up to Rs 30,000 can be availed upon the purchase of two-wheelers listed under the policy along with scrapping incentives. Under Delhi’s EV policy, 23 two-wheeler models are available and eligible for purchase and scrapping incentives across seven manufacturers. By switching to electric two-wheelers which have very low operating costs, an individual can make an annual saving of approximately Rs 22,000 as compared to using petrol scooter and Rs 20,000 as compared to a petrol bike. An average electric two-wheeler provides a lifetime savings of 1.98 tonnes of carbon emissions as compared to an average petrol two-wheeler, which is equivalent to planting eleven trees. The Delhi government has launched social media handles for its latest campaign "Switch Delhi". The DDC will be leading the social media outreach programme for the campaign on various social media platforms like on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, said an official statement. This will help the Delhi government to better connect with the citizens of Delhi.

CM Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government asked delivery chains and big companies, resident welfare associations, market associations, malls and cinema halls to promote electric vehicles and set up charging stations at their premises

In the 'Switch Delhi' campaign, awareness will be created about the benefits of electric vehicles and how it can contribute to making Delhi clean and pollution-free