‘Go Electric’ campaign: Gadkari says electrifying public transport will address pollution

• Electric fuel is indigenous, low-cost, pollution-free, is a major alternative for fossil fuels, said the minister

• He added that his ministry is also working on the concept of a broad-gauge metro which will be cheaper to construct than the standard-gauge metro and will run on electricity

New Delhi: While launching a nationwide campaign called 'Go Electric,' Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari placed emphasis on electrifying public transport, saying that doing so would address the burgeoning problem of pollution. He added that electric fuel is indigenous, low-cost, pollution-free, is a major alternative for fossil fuels, and has the potential to reduce the fossil fuel import bill of Rs 8 lakh crore. He added that his ministry is also working on the concept of a broad-gauge metro which will be cheaper to construct than the standard-gauge metro and will run on electricity.

"I have prepared the concept of broad-gauge metro. The cost of constructing the metro networks in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc, is around Rs 350 crore per km. And the cost for constructing broad-gauge metro is Rs 5 crore per km. It has received approvals from the Ministry of Railways. The train would consist of 6 coaches, and the speed of the train would be around 140-160 kmph. The first and the last coaches would be meant for cold storage. The metro would be air-conditioned and have business and economy class like airplanes. And the fare of the economy class will be the same as state transport, while the time taken to travel will be reduced by half," said Gadkari. He added that when the concept would revolutionise the concept of public transport and will address the problem of pollution in the country. 

Gadkari urges RK Singh to encourage use of carbon capture technologies

Gadkari urged Power Minister RK Singh to encourage value addition to Carbon Dioxide which is released from thermal power plants. He also mentioned about the opportunities and potential of electric cooking in India. While speaking about diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector, the Transport Minister said that the Ministry of Power should promote generation of green power from agriculture waste and biomass which can also benefit the farmers across the country.

What is Go Electric?

The Go Electric Campaign is aimed at creating awareness at pan-India level about the benefits of using electricity as fuel and is expected to boost the confidence of Electric Vehicle manufacturers. The launch event witnessed the unveiling of the "Go Electric" logo which depicts the evolution of e-mobility eco-system. The event was attended by delegates from state governments, PSUs, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other industry players from across sectors. 

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The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, has been mandated to undertake an awareness drive for promoting public charging, e-mobility and its ecosystem. To implement the 'Go Electric' campaign at National and state level, BEE will extend technical support to the State Designated Agencies (SDAs). As a Central Nodal Agency, BEE will provide content and details to SDAs and other partners to ensure uniformity of information.

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