Latest Updates on the revised EV policy in Maharashtra

The immediate need for a drastic change to protect the environment has pushed governments worldwide to take action. Since they won the last election, the Maharashtra government has had EVs as a priority. This is heart-warming to see that governments are ready to adapt to several changes to save the environment. The newly revised policy has been a point of discussion for experts around the country. Let us look at the main points of the revised policy.

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Main points of the EV Policy

• Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, recently called on the state government members to come up with a revised EV (electric vehicle) policy.
• A meeting was held recently with all the cabinet ministers where the CM gave several instructions. Anil Parab, the Minister of Transportation, and Aditya Thackeray, the Minister of Environment, were also part of the meeting.
• In a recent statement, the CM stated that the production and use of electric vehicles need to be accelerated as soon as possible to stop air pollution. He said that while planning the revised policy, it is essential to focus on infrastructure like charging stations that could speed up the process in urban and rural areas.
• A comprehensive research needs to be done to estimate factors like the industry's demand, the investment needed, and government expenditure. This is major to boost the increase of EVs. The CM has set up a committee to look for ways that promote electric vehicles as a mode of public transportation.
• The Ministry of Environment set up a committee on December 22, 2020. The additional chief secretary of the Ministry of Transport is the committee's chairperson. The plan focuses on revising the EV directive and negotiating the terms with various departments to speed up the EV use process.

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• A piece of great news that came in with introducing the revised policy was that the U.S. Department of Transportation handed over a super factory to the Maharashtra government. This is a one-of-a-kind factory in the state producing lithium-ion batteries. The charging station development is also a key policy in this revision. By 2025, the infrastructure needs to be developed to switch to EVs.
• The two key components of fast-pacing EV usage are attracting investors by providing them various incentives and developing the infrastructure needed for the fruition of the plan. The revised policy looks to emphasize both these aspects.
• The directive of the revised policy looks to achieve more than 25% electrification in metropolitan areas such as Mumbai, Aurangabad, Pune, Nagpur, and Nashik after 2021.

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All the states of India need to start forming a cohesive EV policy to usher in the advent of the 'EV Revolution' at an increased pace.