In a significant move towards curbing the menace of air pollution in the national capital, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced that his government has approved the hiring of a consultant to run 1,000 electric buses, estimated to cost ₹2.5 billion.

Cabinet approves hiring of consultant to run 1000 electric buses in Delhi. A big step in modernizing Delhi’s transport sector and reducing pollution #GreenDelhi

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 11, 2018

Kejriwal announced the decision on Twitter after the move was cleared by the Delhi cabinet.

This development comes in the backdrop of the Delhi Budget 2018-19 in which the Kejriwal-led AAP government had proudly announced that 1,0000 electric buses will be deployed across the national capital and soon the city will have the world’s second largest electric vehicles (EV) fleet, trailing China.

The budget, which was hailed as Delhi’s first ‘Green Budget’ also had provision for 905 electric vehicles to facilitate last mile connectivity from metro stations. The Delhi government also aims to boost E-rickshaws in the city through the expansion of eligibility criteria for subsidy.

Of late, both state and central governments have been actively promoting widespread adoption of EVs in the country. In November 2017, the central government announced its plans to provide up to ₹1.05 billion in grant funding for the purchase of EVs to be used for mass transportation. The funding has been made available through a pilot project under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) program.

In line with the government of India’s vision of achieving 100 percent e-mobility by 2030, National E-Mobility Program was also launched in the country recently. The program is aimed at providing impetus to the entire e-mobility ecosystem, including the vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure companies, fleet operators, and service providers.

Moving along with India’s goal to expand its base of renewable energy, the AAP government had also announced in the budget that it will purchase 1 GW of solar and wind power in the coming year.

As reported previously by Mercom, the Delhi government also released its draft Delhi Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2018 recently. The draft ECBC aims to create minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design and construction of commercial buildings in the national capital.

Image credit: By NOMAD [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons