• In India urban pollution is significantly on rise concerning people’s health.
• India needs to offer monetary incentives and other subsidies to e-vehicle manufacturers to address this issue.

What is the status of pollution in India?

• The WHO global air pollution database report that ranked 14 Indian cities among the 15 of the world’s most polluted.
• India’s urban pollution as measured by PM 2.5 level is already about 40 per cent above the global safe limits across major Indian cities.
• World Bank assesses health and welfare losses at 7.7 per cent of India’s GDP (PPP adjusted).
• If these costs are unchecked, they will grow sharply in the coming decades.

What are the major contributors of air pollution in India?

• Domestic Activity -  Usage of kerosene, coal and wood fires for cooking are major contributors on domestic activity.
• Vehicular pollution - It contributes around 35 per cent of the total PM 2.5 emissions today.
• Of the total vehicular pollution, 40 per cent to 45 per cent comes from two-wheelers and another 30 per cent to-35 per cent from four wheelers.
• In a future with internal combustion engines vehicles, urban pollution will continue to remain 25 per cent to 30 per cent above safe global standards because of the growth in automobiles.

What measures needs to be taken?

• India need to speed up the journey towards LPG and solar-powered stoves to reduce the impact from domestic activity.
• It needs to combine the already-proposed tighter emission norms (in form of BS VI), with a push for shared mobility and public transport and adoption of alternate mobility technologies.
• The policy roadmap should encompass three key elements based on global learnings.

1. Incentives for adoption of alternate mobility technologies like Electric vehicles.
2. Restrictions on elements that contribute negatively to strategic objectives (such as congestion charges on polluting technologies).
3. Provision of enabling infrastructure.

• Thus government needs to drive immediate investments by providing subsidies and tax breaks to local manufacturers along with support for research and development in the e-mobility domain.