All new tourist vehicles, as well as cabs and motorbikes to be made available on hire in Goa electric vehicles From January 2024, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.
The Goa government has proposed major reforms to promote EVs in the coastal state, Sawant said while addressing a side-event organized here. NITI Aayog During the ongoing 4th Energy Transition Working Group meeting under India’s G20 Presidency in Panaji.
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant was also present in the side event.
Sawant said, Goa ranks fourth in India in terms of percentage of Electric Vehicles (EVs) purchased in any state.
He said that all new tourist vehicles, cabs and motorbikes on hire would be compulsorily electric vehicles from January next year.
He also said that from January 2024, new vehicles to be procured by the government will compulsorily be EVS,
“It will be mandatory for permit holders having more than one tourist taxis, rent-a-bike and rent-a-cab (service) operators to bring back 30 per cent of the fleet to electric vehicles by June 2024,” Sawant said.
He said that the per capita vehicle ownership in Goa is 4.5 times the national average.
Goa ranks 15th in the world in terms of vehicle density. He said, being a global tourism hotspot, more than 85 lakh tourists visit Goa every year against the state’s population of 15 lakh.
“This is a major contributor to the increased carbon emissions in the state due to the large number of taxis, vehicle on hire (services) and buses used to transport tourists,” Sawant said.
He said, according to a recent study, 40 per cent of the total carbon emissions generated in Goa is due to the operation of vehicles.
The Goa government has provided financial assistance of Rs. 1,679 for electric vehicles. 122 million (Rs 12.2 crore) under a scheme, Sawant said.
“After the launch of the scheme, the percentage of vehicle sales has increased sharply from 0.2 per cent to 9.4 per cent in 2022-23,” he added.
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