Delhi government announces 'Innovation Challenge' for vehicles: What is it?
What's the story
In a bid to tackle vehicular pollution, the Delhi government has launched an 'Innovation Challenge' for retrofitting end-of-life (EOL) and BS4 heavy vehicles. The challenge seeks unique solutions to upgrade these vehicles to meet BS6 emission standards. The move is part of a larger effort by the government to reduce emissions and promote sustainable technology in transportation.
Challenge specifics
Challenge details
The applications for this challenge will be first evaluated on merit. The selected scientific proposals will be awarded ₹5 lakh and provided with testing support. The final assessment will be done by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), with successful entries winning ₹50 lakh each. This is part of the Delhi government's strategy to encourage practical, scalable innovations to combat pollution from heavy vehicles.
Clean transport strategy
Retrofitting diesel cars into electric vehicles
Along with the Innovation Challenge, the Delhi government is also looking at retrofitting diesel cars into electric vehicles. This is part of its larger clean transport strategy. The move comes after directions from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to ban BS4 diesel-guzzling heavy vehicles in Delhi from November 1, as part of efforts to curb vehicular pollution in the capital.