The Indian government is reportedly planning to change its vehicle scrappage policy. The new regulation may require the scrapping of vehicles based on their pollution levels rather than their age. The Vehicle Scrapping Policy was first introduced back in 2021. It makes vehicle scrapping essential for private vehicles that are above 20 years old and for commercial vehicles that are over 15 years old. The Center now considers pollution levels before requesting the scrapping of any vehicle, rather than the vehicle's age.
The Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Anurag Jain, said, “When you come out with a policy that scrapping is mandatory after 15 years, people come back to us with a question – if I have maintained my vehicle well, why do you want to scrap my vehicle? You can’t mandate. The rule should focus more on polluting vehicles than the ones that have reached a certain age.” This statement highlights the necessity of a more sophisticated strategy for vehicle scrappage.
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To implement the new Vehicle Scrapping Policy, the government would have to make stricter pollution tests. Anurag Jain has welcomed industry professionals to come up with better and more trustworthy pollution-checking options. Jain appreciated automotive companies for offering discounts of up to 3 percent on the purchase of new vehicles when the old ones are scrapped.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that the automotive industry can now gain 18% growth in sales through a vehicle scrapping system, which coincided with the Indian government's plans to change the scrapping policy. The UN minister gave instances from the US and Europe where similar car scrapping policies led automakers to see a 15% increase in sales.
