HYDERABAD: Accusing the Centre of encouraging corruption in EV vehicles manufacturing, the Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI and ED inquiry into irregularities in the EV subsidy scheme in India. Speaking to the media here, AICC spokesperson Dasoju Sravan accused the Narendra Modi government of cheating the people of the country.
He described the much-hyped ‘Make in India’ as ‘Fake in India’, saying that the government was offering subsidies to EV manufacturers who are focusing on importing batteries and other components from abroad rather than focusing on manufacturing them in India or sourcing them from Indian suppliers.
To prove his point, Sravan cited the example of Hero Electric company which received about Rs 400 crore as subsidy under FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid) II scheme, in spite of importing 100 percent of its EV batteries and parts from China.
Sravan alleged that subsidies are fraudulently routed to EV manufacturers that do not comply with ‘Make in India’ norms. “Instead of encouraging manufacturers to make vehicles and parts in India, the Modi government is offering subsidies to companies that are sourcing all the components, including batteries from China, thus mocking the very purpose of Make in India scheme,” Sravan said.