9 lakh government vehicles will be removed from the roads from April 1

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that 9 lakh government vehicles older than 15 years will be removed from the roads after April 1. New vehicles will be installed in their place. These vehicles are engaged by Central and State Governments, Transport Corporations and Public Sector Enterprises.
Addressing an event organized by industry body FICCI, Gadkari said the government is taking several steps to facilitate the use of ethanol, methanol, bio-CNG, bio-LNG and electric vehicles. Gadkari said we have now given the approval to convert more than nine lakh vehicles which are more than 15 years old into scrap. Along with this, buses and cars which are spreading pollution have been stopped from plying on the road. The proposal to replace them with new vehicles has been approved. This will reduce air pollution to a great extent, Gadkari said.
According to a recent notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, all 15-year-old central and state government vehicles will be deregistered and scrapped from April 1. These include vehicles engaged in transport corporations and public sector enterprises.
This rule will not apply to special purpose vehicles (armoured and other special vehicles) used in operations for the defence of the country, enforcement of law and order and internal security. In this, such vehicles will be disposed of by the registered vehicle scrap unit after 15 years from the day of their registration under the Motor Vehicles (Registration and Enforcement of Vehicles Scrap Unit) Rules, 2021.
The policy announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 has provision for fitness tests after 20 years for private vehicles and after 15 years for commercial vehicles. Under the new policy effective from April 1, 2022, the Center has said that states and union territories will give up to 25 percent exemption on road tax for vehicles purchased after scrapping old vehicles.
Last year, Gadkari had said that he wanted to develop at least one automobile scrapping facility in every city within 150 km. He had claimed that the country has the potential to become the vehicle scrapping hub of the entire South Asian region.
PM Narendra Modi launched the National Vehicle Scrappage Policy in 2021. He said that this would help in removing unfit and polluting vehicles. This will also boost the economy.