CM Reca Gupta-led Delhi Govt to remove £ 140 crore in anticipation of EV subsidies after HC rap

Chief Minister Velha Gupta-led Delhi government will soon start cleaning up the subsidy fees of the electric vehicle (EV) of approximately £ 140 Pankaj Singh, Minister of Transport, said on September 15 that the department would verify all subsidy applications to address the backlog, reporting the news agency PTI. The government of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the national capital is also preparing a portal for cleaning the pending fees, the agency said. The development comes after the Supreme Court on September 3 ordered the Delhi government to take immediately steps to pay the subsidies promised to clients for the purchase of electric vehicles and said procedural barriers could not be used as a pretext to delay payments. A bank consisting of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhayaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gela noted that the government could not hide behind the fact that the Delhi Electric Vehicles policy of 2020 did not prescribe a timeline for paying off the amount. Officials cited by the news agency said the order would be followed, and the department had already begun to identify the qualifying beneficiaries. A senior official said the delay was due to former Delhi Minister Arind Kejriwal last year in an excise policy case. In his absence, the Cabinet meeting was not held, and the EV policy could not be expanded in time. Since the EV policy in August 2020 during the previous Aadmi party’s term of office, more than 2.19 Lakh vehicles have used tax emissions, including 1.09 Lakh two-wheelers and 83.724 tricycle. The government paid £ 177 in incentives until 2023. The Delhi government has expanded the current policy (EV) to 31 March 2026, as the concept of the new policy will undergo public consultation, which is expected to take time. The policy expired in August 2023. It has since been expanded several times. Last month, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the establishment of a committee led by Minister Ashish Sood to formulate electric vehicle policy 2.0. (With agency input)