NEW DELHI: Union Budget 2019-20 has outlined various proposals for giving a boost to manufacturing of electric vehicles and developing India as a global hub for the same.
Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting her maiden Budget in Parliament on Friday said under Phase-II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme only advanced battery and registered e-vehicles will be incentivised, with greater emphasis on providing affordable and environment-friendly public transportation options for the common man.
The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric vehicles through upfront incentive on purchase of such vehicles and also by establishing the necessary charging infrastructure for the same.
Phase II of FAME has an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore for a period of three years, and has commenced from April 1, 2019.
The Finance Minister has further said that the inclusion of solar storage batteries and charging infrastructure in the FAME scheme will give a boost to manufacturing, which is needed for the country to leapfrog and become a global hub for manufacturing of these vehicles.
The Finance Minister also said the government has already moved GST council to lower the GST rate on electric vehicles from 12 per cent to 5 per cent.
Also to make electric vehicles affordable to consumers, the Union Budget says the government will provide additional income tax deduction of Rs 1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loans taken to purchase electric vehicles. This amounts to a benefit of around Rs 2.5 lakh over the loan period to the taxpayers who take loans to purchase electric vehicle.
To further incentivise e-mobility, customs duty is being exempted on certain parts of electric vehicles.