2.07 lakh vehicle owners will benefit from the new scheme of the Centre, clean transportation will get a boost.

New Delhi. The Union Cabinet has approved a two-year scheme worth Rs 9,585 crore to replace old trucks and buses in Delhi-NCR. Under this, support will be provided to the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) to replace old trucks and buses. The objective of this scheme is to reduce air pollution and promote clean transportation.

The proposal related to this was approved in the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told reporters at the National Media Center that the scheme will be financed by the NCRPB under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The state governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh will also participate in this. Under the scheme, the central government will provide Rs 5,041 crore and about Rs 1,601 crore will be given by the states as tax concessions.

The scheme will benefit BS‑IV or older truck and bus owners registered in Delhi‑NCR, who will be encouraged to replace them with BS‑VI or electric vehicles.

Air pollution remains a serious challenge in Delhi-NCR. Reports by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and TERI state that the transport sector accounts for 14 per cent of PM 2.5, 40 per cent of carbon monoxide and 63 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions. Trucks and buses contribute 36 percent of PM 2.5 emissions despite being only 3 percent of the total fleet.

About 2.07 lakh vehicle owners (1.91 lakh trucks and 16,329 buses) will benefit from the scheme. BS‑III or older vehicles will be mandated to be destroyed at registered scrapping centres, while BS‑IV vehicles will be able to be scrapped or sold in non-NCP cities outside the NCR. Light goods vehicles in Delhi will be electric only, while buses will be BS‑VI CNG or electric only.

Benefits of the scheme include 5 per cent interest subsidy on loans by the central government for up to five years, monthly fuel voucher (maximum Rs 4,800), one-time benefit on electric vehicle purchase and Certificate of Deposit trading. State governments will waive registration fees and provide motor vehicle tax concession up to 100 per cent on new vehicles and up to 50 per cent on old vehicles. Pending liabilities will also be waived off.

Vaishnav said that automobile companies will give a discount of up to 8 percent on the ex-showroom price. The scheme will be implemented entirely through a digital portal, with real-time monitoring of eligibility checks, interest subsidy claims, fuel voucher credits and pollution reduction results.

The scheme will be monitored by an empowered committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, comprising the CEO of NITI Aayog, Secretaries of line ministries, Chief Secretaries of Delhi‑NCR states and Member Secretaries of NCRPB. At the district level, the Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate will implement and monitor the scheme.