Sinha has recommended commercial use of ISRO’s lithium-ion battery technology under the ‘Make In India’ initiative for electric vehicles, official sources said. In October last year, Niti Aayog member V.K.Saraswat had said that India has to set up large lithium-ion batteries manufacturing plants to become a global player in electric vehicles (EVs) technology market. To curb vehicular pollution and bring down the Rs7 trillion annual crude oil import bill, the government is emphasising the need for vehicles run on alternative fuel, including electric vehicles. Government’s think-tank Niti Aayog has also come out with a vision document on electric vehicles. The committee suggested that steps may be taken in regard to the monitoring structure proposed by Niti Aayog for “providing leadership and inter-ministerial coordination”.

Source: Mint January 21, 2018 09:45 UTC