Telangana got over Rs 5600 crore investment in Electric Vehicle sector
Hyderabad: Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday said that the State government has attracted investments of Rs.5,600 crore in a short time in the Electric Vehicles (EV) sector and generated 3,800 direct employment opportunities apart from creating double indirect employment opportunities.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had asked the Industries and Transport departments to conduct a detailed study to bring in an effective EV policy to reduce vehicular pollution. Accordingly, the EV policy was introduced in October 2020 with various benefits to manufacturers and vehicle buyers.
The Minister said this during question hour in Telangana Legislative Council. 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.
Two industrial clusters were also established at Chandanvelli and Sitarampur villages in Shabad mandal in Ranga Reddy district. A new energy park was established at Divitipally in Mahbubnagar. It is presently set up in 340 acres. “We asked the Centre to approve the park under Electronics Manufacturing Cluster 2.0 to get additional subsidies to investors from the Centre,” he explained. Another electric vehicle manufacturing cluster – NIMZ is in Zaheerabad. Rama Rao said the State government attracted Rs.5,600 crore investments in a short time and that too when the entire world was affected with Covid-19.
As many as 1,000 electric buses manufactured by Olectra Greentech Limited 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-based company visited the cluster at Zaheerabad yesterday for setting up a unit to manufacture trucks and cars. Several start-ups were also establishing units. Apart from companies, Automotive Search Association of India is setting up a lab for issuing EV pre-certificates.
Stating that discussions were on with foreign mineral exploration companies to procure lithium iron, which is crucial for making batteries, the Minister said 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. One hundred and eleven charging stations were established at 98 places.
Around 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. For the benefit of farmers, 100 per cent road tax and registration exemption was given to them.
“The State government will respond positively if more subsidies are required,” Rama Rao said, adding that the Mahindra Company is manufacturing non-electric vehicles.
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