Spoke at the launch of MERIT app & E-bidding portal for coal utilisation, in New Delhi
Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal launched here today the ‘MERIT app (Merit Order Despatch of Electricity for Rejuvenation of Income and Transparency – http://meritindia.in/)’ and the e-bidding portal for providing e-Bidding solution to States to select Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for procurement of power by transferring their domestic coal under the scheme of flexibility in utilization of domestic coal.
Briefing the media on the occasion, Shri Goyal said that both the initiatives are taken in the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Minimum Government and Maximum Governance’ through ‘Speed, Skill and Scale’. The app and the web portal would result in optimum utilization of Coal which would save the consumer close to Rs. 20,000 crores five years down the line, the Minister added.
Shri Goyal said that use of technology to increase transparency and accountability and transfer maximum benefit to the consumer reflects a 360-degree approach of a ‘Government in Action’. The Government is dedicated to ensure access to affordable, quality, 24×7 Power for All, in Prime Minister’s vision of New India, the Minister added.
Over the last three years, India has rapidly achieved adequacy in terms of availability of power. Now the time has come to shift the focus to optimal utilization of the valuable and scarce energy resources for achieving economy and efficiency in operation. The merit order stack is a common approach to the problem of minimizing the sum of generators’ operating costs while honoring the operational constraints of the available generation to supply the demand in a secure and reliable manner.
The Tariff Policy, 2016 provides that the States/DISCOMs shall follow merit order for procurement of power and there should be uniformity in merit order mechanism. During the Power Ministers’ conference held at Vadodara in Oct, 2016, it was decided to constitute a Committee to examine the status of implementation of Merit Order Dispatch, issues involved therein and for ensuring proper dispatch of renewable energy sources while following the merit order principle. Accordingly, Merit Order Dispatch Committee was constituted in October 2016 with Chairperson, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) as its Chairperson and Joint Secretary (OM), Ministry of Power (MoP) as its Member Secretary. The Committee had representation from MNRE, CERC, POSOCO and States. The Committee submitted the report along with recommendations to MoP.
The recommendations of the Committee have been prepared with regard to Transparency in Merit Order operations and promotion of Renewables through effective implementation of Must-Run status of Renewables. Most states follow merit order operation; however, details in this regard need to be made transparently available. Hence, there was a need to have a mechanism to quantify deviation from merit order and check its reasonableness. The adherence to merit order optimizes the power procurement cost and benefits both utility and ultimate consumer.
In this direction, a web portal and mobile apps for Merit Order Despatch of Electricity (MERIT) have been developed in association with POSOCO. The app displays extensive array of information regarding the merit order such as daily state-wise marginal variable costs of all generators, daily source-wise power purchases of respective states/UTs with source-wise fixed and variable costs, energy volumes and purchase prices. The app also gives information regarding reasons for deviation from merit order such as must run conditions, transmission constraints etc.
The advantages of MERIT app are as follows:
Today, the Minister also launched the e-Bidding portal, which has been designed to facilitate States in inviting bids for procurement of power from the prospective IPPs in transparent and fair manner. The successful bidder shall be selected through e-Reverse Bidding process.
The Cabinet, on 4th May 2016, approved the proposal for allowing flexibility in utilization of domestic coal amongst power generating stations. Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued the methodology for utilization of domestic coal within State/Central generating stations on 8th June 2016, followed by the issuance of a memorandum by the Ministry of Power on 10th June 2016. The methodology for use of transferred coal in Independent Power Producers (IPPs) generating stations was issued by Ministry of Power on 20th February, 2017.
Ministry of Power, along with PFC Consulting Ltd and MSTC Ltd, has developed the e-bidding portal. The link for portal is available on the website of Ministry of Power and PFC Consulting Ltd. Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary Power and other senior officers of the Ministry of Power.
Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=167149
Power distribution companies have saved Rs. 12,000 crore interest outgo after states took over their debt as part of the Centre’s Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY), the Union power ministry has said. Governments of 16 states have taken around Rs.2.08 lakh crore debt of the distribution companies as per terms of UDAY agreements.
These loans were running at interest rates of around 11%-12% per annum and now be serviced by states at 7%-8.5%. A few discoms have also restructured their balance loan portion, reducing the interest burden by another 3%-4%, the ministry said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The average gap between cost of power supply and revenue has decreased to 45 paise in FY17 from 59 paise in FY 16 in the backdrop of reduced interest outgo, tariff rationalisation and improved billing, it said.
At all India level, billing efficiency has increased by 2% to 83% in 2016-17 while the average aggregate technical and commercial loss has come down to 20.2%. Power procurement cost has reduced in many states including Goa, Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat. The average cost of power purchase has reduced to.`4.16 per unit from .`4.20 per unit in FY16.
While 16 states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, joined Uday for debt recast, while 10 other states including Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Karnataka, Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala joined for operational benefits. Puducherry is also part of the scheme for improving operational efficiency of its discom.
As per the scheme, total liability opted for restructuring by 15 states through bond issuances was Rs. 2.69 lakh crore. So far, states have issued bonds of entire .`2.09 lakh crore and discoms have issued bonds worth Rs.23,000 crore. Bonds worth .`37,000 crore are yet to be issued. In all, 86% of the restructurable debt of states has been restructured so far under Uday, the statement said.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/discoms-save-rs-12000-crore-interest-outgo-after-states-take-over-debt/articleshow/59448727.cms
Thank you very much ma’m, please don’t worry, don’t look at so many papers and worry that it will be so long. A warm welcome to you Mr Bhalla, you have worked with me in the Coal Ministry and it’s a pleasure to have you back in my team. I wish you well and i wish you many-many new initiatives, such as the one we are launching today.
Ms. Shalini Prasad, Additional Secretary Power; Rajivji, CMD of PFC; Ms. Jyoti Arora, Joint Secretary, Ministry of power. I would like to, particularly, recognize Mr Bawa from POSOCO and Mr Sandeep Naik, Director in the Ministry of Power and their respective teams who have made both these very very important initiatives possible today, lot of colleagues from the Ministry, different PSUs; Gurdeep, Dr Jhunjhunwala and Mr Soni. I won’t take everybody’s name, but thank you very much for being here.
A very warm welcome to all the friends from the media, and again, particularly, the regional media who have come up in very large number today. Thank you very much despite the short notice. I think I gave the time only at 6 o’clock or so in the evening yesterday. And, I am delighted to see that I have to have them remove the partition, add more chairs. I hope, ऐसे ही तो किसी को नहीं बुलाया ना रूम भरने के लिए?
I can see very familiar faces. I have interacted with my friends from the regional media earlier also, but very-very happy that you could all come, and, of course, my own media friends who cover my beat normally. A special thanks to Mr Malhotra, we decided at 6 o’clock and he’s been able to get all of you to come. I think he deserves a special recognition. Ladies and gentlemen.
When Prime Minister Modi used to be Chief Minister of Gujarat, two things, and in some sense, there were also election slogans – Speed, Skill and Scale. Many of you may remember that, and the other was, Minimum Government – Maximum Governance. I think in both the initiatives launched today, will reflect a government in action fulfilling the promises made to the people of India. This must be one of the fastest developed app even in our Ministry. I think we just launched a portal on this Merit Order Dispatch, which was called Vidyut MOD earlier, about two weeks back before the regulators. And, I found it so good and so powerful that I requested them to make an app out of it.
Usually, portals, public at large don’t sit down and – it’s a very drab subject. But, a app is something and I keep watching the count of visitors on the various apps that we have launched. I find there is much more enthusiasm, much more excitement, easier for the media also to quickly download the app on their phone and, occasionally, open it, so that you can monitor our work, keep questioning what is happening in the power sector and helping us to do a better job. And, within four or five days Jyoti was in my office with an app and, unfortunately, I could not get time to launch it earlier. But, I am delighted that the app has been really very-very well presented, very well developed and has brought to public notice so many things which were otherwise, kind of, in a mist. The kind of opaqueness that was there in pricing of power and in the information relating to state government’s purchase of power left everybody mystified. So, people used to ask me, if on Vidyut Pravah, power is available at Rs 1-Rs 1.50, Rs 2-Rs 2.20. Why are we required to pay so much?
Some of that will get demystified today. It will come out in public domain that power is purchased based on power purchased agreements, sometimes also from the exchange, at different prices. And then, people can start asking question, are we the most efficient procurer of power in our DISCOM? What Jyotiji just said is a very important element of today’s new app, the fact that in two tower stations located in two parts of India, one is a northern state, one is a southern state. Both set up in 2014, both running at a Plant Load Factor, roughly between 70 to 75%. Certainly, the one which is very far south has a slightly higher variable cost, though I suspect even that could be open to scrutiny. Because, the northern state is equally far from the coal mines as the southern state is, unless they are have not yet rationalized their coal linkage. But the big picture is that the fixed cost in one phase is almost twice, rather 2.3 times, the fixed cost of another. This is a very serious matter.
And, therefore, if one sees today’s whole engagement is really an interplay between different Ministries, different departments, and now also the regulator. The regulator will have to ask these questions. States will have to look at what’s happening in their state. Coal Ministry will have to see whether we have the very scope for rationalization. Just before I came here, I was on the phone with the Coal Secretary and I said please look at today’s app very carefully. Because of paucity of time, we could not invite regulators, coal officials here. But, I requested them in the morning, please look at today’s app very carefully. You will find a scope to further improvise on the coal rationalization, linkage rationalization, supply rationalization, maybe you may find some imported coal in some plants where domestic can be used and can be replaced, so that Coal India doesn’t have to cut down production because of high stocks and inadequate sale of coal.
I hope that’s not the headline for tomorrow, by the way. But, on a serious note, just imagine when you take off your hat as a government official or even as a media person, you as a consumer with a limited budget, concerned about rising electricity bills will be empowered to ask questions, to ask why should my state be paying twice for power when there were possibilities, which this app very clearly demonstrates through the availability of information on the merit order. And, I think, by and large, I hope most of you understand, merit order is basically the variable cost of different sources of power based on which the power utility, DISCOM, decides which power has to be scheduled first, so the cheapest variable cost, fixed cost, they have to pay, whether they buy power or they don’t buy power, that’s a part of the power purchase agreement.
And, I am saying it for some of my friends from the regional media who may not necessarily be covering the power sector. Every power purchase agreement has a fixed cost element and a variable cost element. Fixed cost has to be paid round the year, irrespective of whether you buy power or not. Variable cost determines whether you will buy power from a plant or not, and you will buy from the cheapest source. Of course, there are a few exceptions like nuclear power, or hydro, which is Run-of-the-river, which has to be scheduled, because otherwise that water just goes away, the electricity is wasted. Wind or solar, which are renewable forms of energy which enjoy a must-run status, and I have requested that that all should be kept on the extreme left and maybe the must-run or those which are not a part of the merit order should be separated out, so consumers also recognize what the state has to pay for that.
Also, we as policymakers will now recognize that are we burdening the consumers or the state DISCOMs beyond reasonable requirements. There may be some requirements for stability of the grid. There may be some requirements for better environmental protection, those will be necessary concerns and very necessary factors before we decide the merit order. But, for the rest of the plants, more particularly, coal-based thermal power plants, certainly, there is huge scope for improvement. While Jyoti was being very conservative in her estimate of 3000-4000 crores, I was thinking that 5 years down the road, once our country crosses the 2 trillion mark in power consumption. We are right now at 1.2 trillion, which means 1,20,000 crore kilowatt hour or units of electricity – 1,20,000 crore units of electricity we are consuming today.
5 years down the line, 7 years down the line, this will be about 2 lakh crore units of energy. And, my own sense is that against the business as usual scenario, using all these various methods that have just had the fixed cost being checked, rechecked for vintage. Their merit order being recognized and respected and the cheaper variable cost being scheduled first. If we take the figure that Jyotiji said of 10 paisa per unit, we will actually land up saving nearly 20,000 crores every year, 20,000 crores every year – straight saving for the distribution companies and, obviously, that saving then goes to the consumers.
It’s no mean achievement. And, that ladies and gentlemen, reflects the 360-degree approach of the Modi government. When we are tackling an issue, we are looking at how we can – it’s like a piggy bank, right? We have children probably, in the good old days we had these small piggy banks. आजकल पता नहीं अपने बच्चों को वह आदत है कि नहीं | But we, at least, as a child I remember having a piggy bank, you put in a few coins regularly and then you had the box full, either you buy a toy, or you donate it somewhere depending on whatever you decide or the family decided.
The approach of the Ministry of Power, Coal, Renewable Energy, Mines, and the government at large, when it reflects on the environment interface with us, finance interface with us, all of us have broken the silos, inter-departmental silos, working as team, as Prime Minister says ‘Team India’, working to serve every consumer in this country, more particularly, the poor, the socially and marginally deprived sections, the farmers of this country, to see how from different pockets, small-small-small-small savings can be brought on the table and, collectively, it can have on impact on the people of India.
As they say, if you count the pennies, the pounds will take of themselves. It’s only when you add all the drops in the ocean that an ocean is made. And, in that sense, if you go to see the interplay, so just a few days before this, the Ministry of Power reduced a minimum technical at which thermal plants have to run from 70% to 55%. See the interplay between these various steps. By doing that, now you have an ability to schedule power from a more cheaper source, from a more affordable source, lesser variable cost source at higher levels while backing down other plants instead of only up to 70% right down to 55%. If they had not taken that step, then today’s exercise could have become almost futile.
POSOCO – continuously working, and I saw on the 30th, in an earlier press conference, 9 reports were already there and the 10th one I launched that day by I think Narsimhan and Jacqueline, two authors. And we engaged with the world at large that was under a joint cooperation with the United States to try and see how we can bring the best of technologies in India, so that grid integration of renewables becomes a robust mechanism. Because, unless you do that, you may again land up with a situation that you cannot back down certain plants or you cannot have a genuine must-run for the renewables. If we don’t do the must-run for renewables then the renewable cost goes up. If renewable cost goes up, we cannot expand to the scale at which we want to expand it. If we don’t expand it the way we want renewable to grow, when our concern for the environment comes before us, when we are not able to really improve the environment quality, reduce the levels of pollution. You see the interplay of the entire thing.
Of course, if we don’t reduce the affordability of power, the common man, the poor man cannot afford power, he will not buy power. He doesn’t buy power, he, his family, his children are relegated to poverty for all times. After all, electricity is that one factor, which can really help this country get everybody out of poverty, give equal opportunity to all children to get quality education in the remotest of villages. Farmers, they won’t be able to bear the burden of increased cost of electricity. If we continue to cross-subsidize beyond a point, I am reiterating what I said on many occasions, I recognize and support cross-subsidization to give farmers and the poor cheaper power. But, if it becomes irrational, then industrialization will suffer, new job opportunities, economic activity will suffer. Once that happens, banking sector suffers.
You see the huge interplay. That, ladies and gentlemen, has been recognized, for the first time, if I may humbly submit. And I would urge you to reflect on it. You have all worked 20 years, 30 years in your different areas, many of you. There may be some people I see, Dr Jhunjhunwala has had a 45-year career almost, reflect on the last as many years as you can, whether there has been a occasion when such 360 degree working across the central government, state governments, utilities, bankers, in some sense, 125 crore people as stakeholders, has ever been attempted before. You can see that in so many steps, you have the GST right before you. The kind of game changing transformation India is going to see with the implementation of GST is really difficult sometimes to even explain and for most people to comprehend.
Prime Minister Modi has been committed from Day 1 that I have to stop corruption in this country, I have to get rid of black money in this system. After all, what are these steps, these two portals? The e-bidding portal actually we had brought out this quite some months ago, the procedure by which people could flexibly use their coal through, I think in the common parallels you call it …… where you can use your coal, use it in the most cost-effective plant to produce power and supply it to you, so that you replace more expensive power with power procured from anybody who can supply it cheaper using your coal reserves.
So, if a state has, let’s say, a million tonnes of coal. They have two choices. They can use it in their own coal plant. A plant in Solapur where you have to transport the coal so far away, produce power and then use it. There is a particular effective cost of coal transport plus transmission or alternatively give that one million tonne through a transparent process, bidding process, to some plant near the coal mine, drastically reduce transport costs. Maybe, and also the losses in transport of coal or the grade slippage, sometimes, that happens in transportation over long distances. Add the cost of transmission and see if net-net there can be a saving.
Now, are these not all steps, which will help serve the people of India with cheaper power? And, of course, in some sense, the MERIT mobile app also is one more step to reduce corruption. Without taking any names, without going into more details, there are instances when I found out that people have been able to manage the hours power gets sold, somebody else’s power doesn’t get sold to a state, and flimsy reasons are accorded for that, for extraneous reasons. Or it could be happening all the time.
I don’t know. I have no personal knowledge. If I had knowledge I would have stopped it by now. But, I have got the best ways, let it be public. Let the information be public. And, this need not be real time daily, it can by 48 hours later, so that a reason is put on that column why they have scheduled a particular power and why not a cheaper source of power. Let the states be told that they have to put a reason. After all, this data whether I get it today, for today or I get it 3 days back, effective action, I will be able to take in both cases.
So, let it be 2…48 hours, certainly 2 hours, whatever the states are comfortable with. I don’t want to stress them. But, let them give a reason, and I hope my friends from the media will take time, and all other people are, after all, you are also paying electricity bills. Some of you may be staying in different parts of the country. You are all paying electricity bills. Would you not like to know whether your state could have been doing it better? And, कई बार ignorance में भी हो जाता है | Let’s not always allude a motive. It could also be ignorance. It could also be lack of understand of the state.
So, I would urge you Mr Bhalla that POSOCO also should set up a small loan wing, which spends half an hour-one hour on studying the data, once it is loaded after 2 days or 3 days to guide and cajole states to do their job better. We need not be policing them. We can guide them. We can mentor them how this can be done better. And that is the true spirit of federalism that we are trying to work with. It’s truly very-very satisfying that we are moving towards 24/7 affordable and clean power certainly, but also, uninterrupted, adequate and good quality power. All of these are steps which will help us reach the goal faster, all of these are steps which will bring more transparency and honesty in the system. All of these are steps which will make giving business in India far more open, far more transparent, far more attractive, therefore, attracting investments, attracting economic activity, creating new job opportunities, working opportunities, entrepreneurship opportunities.
And, when we look at the entire picture, the vision of new India that Prime Minister Modi has envisaged, an India where everybody has his own home, has 24 hours electricity, clean water, toilet, good schooling, nearby good medical facilities – many of these using the digital world, using space technologies. For example, using telemedicine for better healthcare for our people in the rural areas. When we look at all of these, electricity, availability of electricity, round the clock availability of electricity, and affordable cost of electricity are an important element.
I have no doubt that all of us in the Ministry stand committed and we will continue to serve our nation with the same level of sincerity and commitment that I have found in the last 3 years. On more than one occasion, I have acknowledged and recognized that I have been blessed with some of the finest officials, finest public sector companies, a wonderful team which has helped me over the last 3 years work through this great journey of improvement that we have embarked on. I acknowledge and thank each one of you, in the room or not in the room, for all that you have contributed, all that you have done.
A special thanks to Jyoti who will be taking up other responsibilities later from tomorrow. Thank you very much Jyoti for your many years in the power sector. You have done some very very important work in the last many years. I am sure all of you in this room would like to acknowledge her role and her contribution to this sector.
I am sure you will continue to serve in different capacities, in different areas of work that you will continue to get in the days to come, and in the same spirit of transparency, in the same spirit of national good, if each one of us makes this our mission, wants to leave a legacy just like Jyoti, on her last day leaves behind two very very important tools from her division, with her team’s effort. When each one of us decides upon themselves that we stand committed to leaving behind a legacy, I think the job will become far easier, will become far better, far more enjoyable, and will create a larger impact for the people of India.
Once again, thank you very much to all of you.
FMCG companies are revising prices of their products after the implementation of GST and are extending the tax benefits to the consumers under the new tax regime.
The companies such as Patanjali, ITC, HUL and Marico are either slashing the prices of goods or increasing the grammage of the product on dispatches made from July 1 onwards.
“The company is committed to pass on the benefits of reduction in effective tax rate to its consumers wherever applicable and has firmed up the price reductions,” Marico CFO Vivek Karve told PTI.
He further added:”The new prices will hit the market eventually”.
“Effective steps are being taken to pass on the benefits to the consumer, wherever such benefits accrue due to the recently announced GST rates,” an ITC spokesperson said.
Yesterday, HUL had reduced prices of some of its detergents and soaps, extending the tax benefits to consumers under the GST regime.
The company had slashed the price of its detergent soap Rin bar of 250 gm to Rs 15 from Rs 18 and increased weight (grammage) of its Surf Excel bar costing Rs 10 to 105 gm from 95 gm at the same price.
Companies are extending the benefits either in the form of price reduction or increasing the weight of the existing packet in the same price brackets.
“We are passing on the entire tax benefits to the consumers. This would be in both ways – by slashing the price and increasing the grammage,” said a spokesperson of Haridwar based Patanjali.
The GST council has put daily usage goods as bathing soap, hair oil, detergent powder, soap, tissue papers and napkins under 18 per cent tax slab.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fmcg/fmcg-companies-to-extend-tax-benefits-to-customers-slash-prices/articleshow/59428487.cms?utm_source=WAPusers&utm_medium=twittershare&utm_campaign=socialsharebutton&from=mdr
आंध्र प्रदेश देश का सबसे बड़ा सौर ऊर्जा पार्क बनायेगा, इससे सस्ती बिजली के साथ पर्यावरण सुरक्षा भी होगी।
The increase in power generation capacity, coupled with improvement in transmission infrastructure, is helping the country reduce its average duration of power cuts. In May, there were 7.45 hours of power cut across the country on an average. The figure is 61% lower than a year ago. Average power cut duration in UP came down to 7.11 hours in May, from 166.31 hours a year ago. The situation in Bihar improved to 12.05 hours from 54.51 in May 2016.
Haryana and Manipur also improved significantly by 73% and 59% to 34.24 hours and 41 hours, respectively. However, the average number of power cuts on an all-India basis inched up to 10.98 power in May from 10.44 a year ago. FY17 witnessed the lowest ever deficit both in terms of meeting energy requirement (-0.7%) and peak demand (-1.6%).
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/power-cut-duration-falls-61-in-may/747702/
From the humble Maruti-800 to the Rs 2.62 crore BMW i8 hybrid, Sachin Tendulkar has seen, driven and owned them all.
The cricket legend has now thrown his weight behind the government’s plan to have an all electric car fleet by 2030 in India, saying the present generation has a responsibility to look after the planet and hand it over to the next in a better shape.
Although the road to having environment-friendly mobility solutions is going to be long and winding, Tendulkar believes that it is never too soon to make a start with real intent.
“It is about looking after the planet. It becomes our responsibility to look after the planet and make sure that when the next generation takes over, it is in better shape,” Tendulkar told PTI.
He was responding to a query on his views on alternative fuels and environmental-friendly mobility solutions, considering rising concerns over pollution in India.
Referring to the government’s initiative to have an all electric car fleet by 2030, he said it was a step in the right direction.
“I think the world is going in that direction,” he said.
Yet, the master blaster, known for his whirlwind run scoring, sees the journey to eco-friendly vehicles being more like playing a long innings in a Test match.
“That process is a lengthy process, change is not going to happen overnight. Results are not going to happen overnight … (but) somewhere, we need to start and we need to have that intent. As long as we all are moving in the right direction results will follow,” Tendulkar said.
Being an automobile enthusiast himself, he said electric vehicles can also provide what normal internal combustion engines offer.
Recollecting his experience of driving the i8 hybrid, Tendulkar said the electric motor of the car can offer power for sudden acceleration like other normal ‘muscle cars’.
“My experience with i8 has been fabulous. It has something to it because of the way it handles, power for sudden accelerations, instant braking and it’s light weight,” he said.
He expressed optimism that with “many experienced brains working in finding the right solution”, expensive technologies such as the one used in i8 hybrid could make their way to mass market vehicles over a period of time.
In April this year, Power Minister Piyush Goyal had said that the government was looking at having an all electric car fleet by 2030 with an objective of lowering fuel import bill and running cost of vehicles.
Policy think-tank Niti Aayog has also proposed giving both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives and subsidies to push sales of electric vehicles while discouraging the use of petrol and diesel-run vehicles.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/auto/cars/sachin-tendulkar-bats-for-electric-cars-backs-govt-move/articleshow/59408793.cms
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