Digital Goa, July 19 – All new tourist vehicles, rent-a-cab and rent-a-bikes in Goa will have to be mandatorily Electric Vehicles from January, 2024, announced CM Pramod Sawant today. New Government Light Motor Vehicles purchased from January 2024 will also mandatorily be EVs, he said. It will also be mandatory for permit holders having multiple tourist taxis, rent a bike and rent a cab operator to retrofit 30% of the fleet to EV by June, 2024, he further added. Sawant was speaking at the inauguration of the Technology and Cultural Showcase on Zero Emission Vehicles, Charging Infrastructure Innovations and Clean Tech Startups, a side-event organised by NITI Ayog during ongoing G20 fourth Energy Transitions Working Group meeting in Panaji. Incidentally, per capita vehicle ownership in Goa is 4.5 times the National Average. “Based on the recent study carried out by GIZ, 40% of total carbon emission generated in Goa are due to the operation of the vehicles,” Sawant pointed out. The State Government has provided Financial Assistance for 1679 vehicles amounting to Rs. 122 million under the Goa Electric Mobility Promotion Policy, 2021, he informed. Goa ranks 4th in India in terms of percentage of EV purchased in any State, he further added.
