Petrol and diesel cars to be removed from government fleet, EVs up to ₹20 lakh to be procured

The Central Government has made a significant change in the policy for the procurement of government vehicles, under which petrol and diesel-powered cars will now be removed from the government fleet. According to a report by Amar Ujala, the government has decided to prioritise electric vehicles (EVs) henceforth. Under this new policy, electric cars will generally be purchased to replace petrol or diesel cars that are declared unfit.

Along with this new change, the government has also set a specific price limit for the vehicles. A price limit of up to ₹20 lakh has been fixed for the purchase of electric vehicles. On the other hand, the price limit for the purchase of petrol, diesel, or hybrid vehicles has been kept up to ₹10 lakh. The primary objective of this step appears to be making the government fleet environment-friendly and reducing pollution.

Apart from the purchase of vehicles, the Central Government has also decided to provide technological facilities to increase the efficiency of its officers and employees. According to the report, laptops, tablets, and notebooks worth up to ₹1.50 lakh will be provided to the officers and employees of the Central Government. A special condition has been kept regarding the use of these devices: employees will be able to keep these laptops or tablets permanently after using them for four years.

Thus, while the government aims to bring an electric revolution in the transport sector on one hand, it is promoting the digitalisation of the administrative system on the other. The arrival of electric cars in the government fleet will reduce fuel costs in the long run and lessen the burden of pollution on the environment. It is expected that the modern gadgets provided to employees will bring speed and transparency to government functioning.