Cabinet approves electric vehicles policy to cut oil import bill – Pakistan

• Sets the goal of converting 3,000 CNG stations and 30-piece vehicles
• Supports the decision of the Prime Minister on the entry without passport of Sikh pilgrims
• Decides to renew CDA by appointing president of the private sector

ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, the federal cabinet approved an ambitious national electric vehicle (EV) policy under which a goal was set to convert 30 percent of four- and three-wheel vehicles in the country into electric vehicles.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, also approved its decision on the entry without visa and passport of Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan from India through the Kartarpur corridor on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the birth of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, on November 9.

To solve people's problems and take measures to control the price increase in the country, Khan granted a period of three months to the ministries concerned.

The prime minister described the dharna (sitting) Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) as "ineffective" by saying that the common man had stayed away from him. He added that the timing of the agitation was not appropriate.

The cabinet expressed satisfaction with an improvement in economic indicators that it hoped would bring relief to the nation soon.

Addressing a joint press conference together with the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Information Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan after the cabinet meeting, the Federal Minister for Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, presented a detailed picture of how the government would implement the national EV policy.

He said the government had targeted 30 percent of the total number of vehicles in the country to convert them into electric cars. For this purpose, local car manufacturers had already completed 90 percent of the tasks, the climate change minister said. "I recently visited Karachi and I was surprised to see that local automakers await cabinet approval for electric vehicle policy so they can launch their electric vehicles to the market," he said.

The minister said the EV policy would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “In developed countries, the proportion of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in the total volume of environmental pollution is 20{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5}, but here in Pakistan it is 40{7be40b84a6a43fc4fae13304fce9a2695859798abfc41afd127b9f8b21c5f9c5}. With the introduction of electric cars, trucks, vans and even three-wheel rickshaws, the pollution and smog rate will decrease, ”he added.

Aslam said another advantage of the policy was affordable transportation, since the cost of operating electric vehicles was much lower than driving vehicles with gasoline, condensed natural gas (CNG) or other fuel.

He expressed the hope that the use of electric vehicles would help the government drastically reduce the oil import bill, which is said to be $ 2 billion annually.

"Another benefit of the policy is that it will boost the local automotive industry and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the country," said the climate change minister.

He told the media that more than 3,000 CNG stations, which had been closed due to gas shortages, could become EV charging stations.

“Our negotiations are ongoing with some oil companies in this regard. A company is ready to establish battery exchange stations to provide batteries to leased travelers, ”he said.

The minister said special electric car manufacturing units would be installed in the Special Economic Zones under construction that are established under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Kartarpur corridor

Earlier, the prime minister's special assistant said the cabinet had given its approval to the decision to waive the $ 20 entry fee for Sikh pilgrims attending the inauguration ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor. The cabinet also approved the entry without a visa and passport to Sikh pilgrims on the occasion, he said, adding that the government was expecting the arrival of more than 15,000 pilgrims to Pakistan from India and other parts of the world.

Three month goals

During the cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister asked the ministries to solve the problems faced by the common man and take measures to control the price increase. For this purpose, Mr. Khan granted a period of three months to all ministries. Nadra's audit report was rejected

Dr. Awan told the media that the cabinet meeting rejected the financial audit report of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Mr. Khan ordered Nadra officials to conduct the financial audit of the organization through some credible and recognized auditors, he said.

He said the meeting also approved an investigation into allegations against former head of Pakistan's Drug and Regularity Authority, Azhar Ali, about irregularities in DRAP and appointed the investigative officer Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera.

In addition, the cabinet allowed the renewal of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) of Islamabad within three to six months. It was decided that the CDA would be divided into executive and development wings and that someone from the private sector would be appointed president.

Posted in Dawn, November 6, 2019