NEW DELHI: With a view to reducing threats to the environment from rising road-based freight transportation, India aims to transition entirely to zero-emission trucks, the government’s Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor announced today.

The announcement of the ‘Indian Zero Emission Trucking Policy Advisory’ predicted that India will have an estimated 17 million trucks on its roads by 2050 if economic growth continues at its present pace.

‘This growth in freight transport, however, poses a serious threat to the environment. To achieve India’s Net Zero target by 2070, it is essential to complete the transition to zero-emission trucks (ZETs) by 2050,’ the detailed advisory on the new policy stated.

Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government, said: ‘The induction and wider adoption of ZETs require technical expertise and systematic policy interventions to create an enabling techno-socio-economic ecosystem in India.’

Hanif Qureshi, Additional Secretary in
the Ministry of Heavy Industries, said 30 policy interventions have been designed to accelerate the electrification of trucks all over India.

Sood said ‘these policy areas have been identified based on successful international models. They have been assessed and rigorously evaluated by experts.’

Source: Emirates News Agency