The Odisha government has argued in favour of making the use of electric vehicles in all departments required.
Following the finance department’s letter, the transport department has issued a letter to the transport commissioner regarding this.
The price of spare parts, batteries, and tyres for electric vehicles is substantially higher, so the finance department has requested that the transport department conduct a thorough analysis of the cost and upkeep of electric vehicles.
A technical committee meeting of the transport department will take place soon, according to a senior official. The number of vehicles that could be hired will be decided during the meeting.
The Center has already requested that all government ministries and agencies require its employees to drive electric vehicles.
The Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy 2021 was also released by the state government of Odisha. Electric vehicle purchases will receive a 15% subsidy from the state government.
The subsidy is up to Rs 5,000 for two-wheelers and up to Rs 10,000 for three-wheelers. Similar to this, the government is exempting the registration fee for four-wheelers and offering a subsidy of Rs 50,000.
The subsidy programme, which began on September 1, 2021, will last through December 2025. Since it was introduced, the Odisha government has given 4488 owners of electric vehicles a subsidy totaling Rs 2.96 crore.
Out of the total 16,759 electric vehicles sold in the state, as many as 5466 people had filed for subsidies.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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