New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs. 9,585 crore scheme aimed at replacing old trucks and buses in Delhi-NCR to curb air pollution. The scheme will be funded through the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and implemented by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
Targeting 1.91 lakh trucks and 16,329 buses, the initiative will be implemented in collaboration with the states and Union Territories of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
“The scheme aims to incentivise owners of trucks and buses registered in the Delhi-NCR region that comply with BS-IV or earlier emission norms to replace them with BS-VI or stricter emission-compliant vehicles, or electric vehicles (EVs),” the release said.
The scheme has a total financial outlay of Rs. 9,585 crore, including Rs. 5,041 crore from the Central Government and around Rs. 1,601 crore in tax concessions from participating states.
By accelerating the transition to cleaner transport technologies, the scheme is expected to reduce vehicular emissions and improve air quality across the Delhi-NCR region.
According to “Source Apportionment of Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) in the NCR” by ARAI and TERI, the transport sector contributes 14 per cent of PM 2.5, 40 per cent of Carbon Monoxide (CO), and 63 per cent of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions in Delhi-NCR. Despite comprising only 3 per cent of the fleet, “trucks and buses account for 36% of PM 2.5 emissions,” the release added.
The Central Government will provide 5 per cent interest subvention on loans for five years, monthly fuel vouchers of up to Rs. 4,800 and benefits for EV purchases. States will waive registration fees and provide motor vehicle tax concessions.
“It is estimated that a single Pre-BS heavy-duty vehicle emits as much as 14 BS-VI compliant vehicles. Even a BS-IV vehicle emits 2.7 times more than a BS-VI counterpart. Hence, the newer fleet is expected to reduce the vehicular pollution substantially,” it said.
