President Ram Nath Kovind

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Saturday that the country spends Rs 15 lakh crore per year for import of petroleum products, hence there is a need to diversify the agriculture sector towards energy and power sectors. Addressing the felicitation programme of National Cogeneration Awards 2022 in Mumbai, Gadkari exhorted the industry of the crucial need to focus on alternative fuels with the help of futuristic technologies.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Gadkari said, "Ushering Sustainable Revolution! It gives me immense pleasure to launch the Ashok Leyland's Electric Double-Decker Bus in Mumbai today." The minister also said the initiative will give a dynamic boost to the sustainable transport sector. "Giving Dynamic Boost to the sustainable transportation sector, such initiatives are cost-effective solutions & achieve PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat by cutting down oil imports and promoting indigenous resource & services," the minister said in another tweet.

Without divulging more details about what kind of benefits Tsla would get once it agrees to manufacture its cars in India, the minister said that electric vehicles will soon cost less than petrol vehicles in the country.

Reiterating that Musk will not get any special treatment when it comes to customs duties, Gadkari said during the 'Raisina Dialogue 2022' that if Musk wants to manufacture in China and sell Tesla cars here, "it cannot be a good proposition for India". In February also, Gadkari had said that Musk has to manufacture in India first in order to roll out Tesla cars on the roads.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Thursday in the Lok Sabha said that India has registered overall 162 per cent growth in the sales of electric vehicles this year. Responding to a question during Question Hour, Gadkari informed the house that on a year-over-year basis, the sales has risen. Union Minister informed the house that a total 10,95,746 electric vehicles were registered in India with 1,742 charging stations operable as on March 13 this year.