Within one year, the cost of electric vehicles will be equivalent to the cot of petrol vehicles : Nitin Gadkari

June 18, 2022, New Delhi:

The two-day mega thought fest TV9 What India Thinks Today Global Summit, hosted India’s top policy makers, chief ministers, business leaders, and spiritual leaders on Day#1 of its inaugural global summit.

Covering myriad topics on India’s journey to become a Vishwa Guru – the leader of the new world order – the Summit got off to a stupendous launch on Friday.

Five Union Ministers and two Chief Ministers deliberated on various areas of policymaking that are important not only for the people of the country but also for preparing the nation for a bigger role in the new post-Covid, post-war emerging international order.

Speaking at the TV9 thought fest, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, said electric vehicles will cost as much as petrol ones within a year. “I am trying… within one year, the cost of electric vehicles will be equivalent to the cot of petrol vehicles in the country and we will save money spent on fossil fuels,” he said.

The minister added that the government is promoting green fuels in a big way. Waterways – a cheaper alternative to road travel too will come up in a big way.

Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister of Labour and Employment and Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that in the past eight months, crores of people from the unorganised sector have been employed after registering with the e-Shram portal. He also said that these people have been absorbed in different occupations such as horticulture and coffee plantation, which would partly take care of unemployment in the sector.

Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Coal and Mines said that after agriculture, the mineral sector is the highest employment generator. It is also the highest contributor to the economy. The minister said that India had only mined about 10 per cent of the resources it possesses.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister, Jal Shakti, said that India is swiftly moving from a three trillion-dollar to a five trillion-dollar economy. Shekhawat also remarked that the country would soon climb to a 10 trillion-dollar mark. On similar lines, Sanjiv Mehta, CEO & MD, HUL said at the Summit, that in the next 25 years, India growing into a 25 trillion-dollar economy is likely. “I urge everyone to keep faith in the Indian story,” he said.

G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeastern Region said that a national tourism policy is expected which will help in boosting tourism, which is a labour-intensive operation. He also said that cruise and circuit tourism will be promoted under the PPP (public private partnership) mode.

Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Minister, Karnataka, said that his state has the highest number of public and private R&D units – nearly 400 — involved in creating new products, new applications, and new services. It is also the home to 400 of the Fortune 500 companies of the world. The state also has the highest number of unicorns and has already signed a memorandum of understanding to start the semiconductor industry in India.

Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel also addressed the gathering virtually. He said that the government should either change the rules of GST or prolong the payment of compensations cess by another five years.

Governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan spoke on the knowledge edge of India in the comity of nations.

Elaborating on India’s potential of becoming a Vishwa Guru, Barun Das, CEO, TV9 Network, said, “India becoming a superpower on the foundation of peace is not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’.”

“I believe this is the Indian century. Opportunity doesn’t knock on the door twice… As a nation, we must seize the opportunity with both hands. Our goals are near, not far,” he affirmed.

TV9 What India Thinks Today Global Summit will host the second day of its thought fest on Saturday, 18th June. The summit promises a galaxy of thought leaders including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, Former Prime Minister of UK David Cameron among others.

TV9 Network is India’s No.1 News Network, with leadership news channels across languages.

While TV9 Bharatvarsh leads in the crucial Hindi news market, most of the other channels in Telugu, Kanada, Marathi, Gujarati and Bangali are leaders in their respective markets.