Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao has said that the state was able to attract investments of Rs 5,600 crore in the Electric Vehicles (EV) sector in the last one year and generated 3,800 direct and over 7,000 indirect employment opportunities. The state had introduced EV policy in October 2020 offering various benefits to manufacturers and vehicle buyers.
Giving details of the progress of EV sector in the state Legislative Council on Friday, the minister said to encourage research and manufacturing of EVs, the government has given power tariff rebate, subsidy on capital and transport among other benefits. Exemption in registration fee was also given to various categories of three-wheelers, auto rickshaws, medium size electric goods vehicles and electric buses.
The government has established two industrial clusters at Chandanvelli and Sitarampur villages in Shabad mandal in Ranga Reddy district and a new energy park at Divitipally in Mahbubnagar in 340 acres. “We sent a request to the Centre to approve the park under Electronics Manufacturing Cluster 2.0 to get additional subsidies to investors,” KTR said. Another electric vehicle manufacturing cluster – NIMZ is being developed in Zaheerabad.
More than 1,000 electric buses manufactured by Olectra Greentech are plying in the country. The company has established a manufacturing unit in Chandanvelli while another company is investing to manufacture EV buses in Chandanpur and Sitarampur. Representatives from an American company visited the cluster at Zaheerabad this week for setting up a unit to manufacture trucks and cars. Several start-ups are also establishing their units. Besides companies, Automotive Search Association of India is also setting up a lab for issuing EV pre-certificates.
Discussions were on with foreign mineral exploration companies to procure lithium ion, which is crucial for making batteries, the minister said, adding that over 6,311 different categories of EVs were sold so far. The TSRTC is operating 40 electric buses from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad to different places in the city. The department has installed 111 charging stations at 98 places.
Another 118 stations in Hyderabad and 10 in Karimnagar and Warangal would also be set up soon. Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation (TSREDCO) is establishing 600 charging stations on PPP mode. The Transport department has also come up with an initiative to encourage 500 women entrepreneurs by giving electric auto rickshaws. To encourage farmers, 100 percent road tax and registration exemption is offered on EV vehicles purchased by them, he said.
Source : Economic Times
