Hyderabad: As part of the efforts to promote electric vehicles, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Monday came to the state Assembly in an electric car.
Accompanied by MLA Danam Nagender, the minister travelled in the electric car from the Ministers’ Quarters to the Assembly.
Prabhakar said the state government introduced the EV policy to reduce pollution and protect the environment.
As part of the policy, the government has announced a 100 per cent exemption from road tax and registration tax for EV vehicles.
According to the minister, the government has so far provided exemptions worth approximately Rs 1,000 crore. He said that to promote EV vehicles, the government will provide charging stations and infrastructure facilities.
He noted that EV manufacturers are providing 10-20 per cent discounts on electric vehicles to government employees, and thanked the various EV companies that are on board.
The Transport Minister, on behalf of the state government, appealed to all EV companies to come forward to give incentives to promote electric vehicles.
To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel–run vehicles, the state government last week announced an initiative under which government employees will get up to 20 per cent discount on EVs.
This is claimed to be a first-of-its-kind in the country.
The minister secured discounts of up to 20 per cent on electric two-and four-wheelers for state government employees. This was done after multiple rounds of negotiations with leading EV manufacturers.
This move could translate into savings of up to Rs 4 lakh per employee for around 5 lakh government employees across Telangana.
The state government in 2024 announced a 100 per cent exemption from road tax and registration fees for electric vehicles, including two-wheelers, four-wheelers, taxis, autorickshaws, goods carriers, tractors, and buses, as part of its public EV policy.
