As part of the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign by the Delhi government, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot has asked corporate players in the national capital to take up the cause by adopting electric vehicles in their fleets and use CSR funds for setting up charging stations in the city.
In fact, according to the transport department, the sixth week of the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign will be aiming at creating and raising awareness on how the corporate segment can help the capital’s transition towards adopting electric vehicles.
What is the ‘Switch Delhi’ Campaign?
In a bid to fight air pollution in the capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a Switch Delhi campaign in Feb 2021, in order to promote the use of Electric Vehicles. The CM of the UT also appealed to the citizens to buy EVs instead of vehicles powered by fossil fuels, and support the capital’s fight against pollution.
Under this campaign, corporates, shopping malls, resident welfare associations, cinema halls and even delivery chains are asked to promote the use of electric vehicles and set up charging stations at their premises.
In addition this, the Delhi chief minister also said that the Delhi government is also going to play its part in this initiative and has decided to only procure electric vehicles in the government fleet over the next six months. He confirmed that preparations to install 100 charging stations across Delhi have begun and the government has started rolling out tenders.
In order to encourage more citizens to opt for EVs, the government rolled out the Delhi EV policy in 2020, which accords benefits of up to Rs 1,50,000, alongside the waiver on road tax and registration fee on new EVs being registered in the State. The policy is designed to accelerate the national capital’s EV momentum and cut down on vehicular pollution.
As per the government, the subsidy is applicable on a total of 150 EV models available in the market, across the two-wheeler, three-wheeler and four-wheeler segments.
How can Corporates Support the Campaign?
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said, “corporates based in Delhi have performed exceptionally well and earned the city the economic hub tag.” He said, “Globally, it has been seen that people generally charge their electric vehicles at home or the workplace. Many corporate employees are willing to switch to EVs if there is sound EV charging infrastructure at their workplaces,” and added that The corporates can put their resources to the best use by promoting EVs in Delhi. They can come forward and help the government in making the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign a huge success.
The transport minister has urged corporates to convert and reserve five per cent of parking space at their premises for installing charging stations.
The minister said, “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its huge impact on society is well-known. Through CSR initiatives, the corporates can install or adopt an EV charging station in Delhi. This way, Delhi could witness thousands of EV charging stations in the coming year.”
