LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that all state government vehicles will be gradually replaced with Electric Vehicles by 2030.

To meet this target, departments have been told that purchase of Electric Vehicles (EVs) can be done without tendering, based on nomination and that if required, more than the maximum limit set for the purchase of EVs can also be spent.

A government spokesperson said that the 2 provisions have been made because Electric Vehicles are currently more expensive than diesel and petrol vehicles and therefore, there is a need to allow for additional expenditure on their purchase. This, he said, would be offset by the savings on fuel in the coming years.

Secondly, the official added: “Government vehicles are brought through tenders on the Government e-Marketplace portal and Electric vehicle companies are not registered on it. That is why provision has been made to allow for purchase of EVs from government agencies such as Rajasthan Electronics Instrument Ltd and Energy Efficiency Services Ltd etc on the basis of nomination, without tender.”

The CS's directives further stated that EVs should be included in the departmental advances offered to staff for the purchase of vehicles, including four- and two-wheelers. The earliest possible instructions for this have been requested from each department.

On October 14, 2022, the state government announced the Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Mobility Policy 2022. For the first three years of the scheme, a full tax and registration exemption has been granted.

On the acquisition of an EV made in Uttar Pradesh, the exemption will be good for five years. Further, the government is providing an EV factory price subsidy of 15%. The Centre is also offering discounts on EVs in addition to this. With the help of the federal and state governments, the price of a two-wheeled EV will drop by Rs 20,000, while the price of an electric vehicle would probably fall by Rs 1 lakh.

"The sale of EVs in the country is likely to increase with the expansion of infrastructure, incentives, and the introduction of new EV models. The official predicted that two- and three-wheelers will predominate in this sale.

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