New National Auto Policy coming soon: Minister Anant Geete
New Delhi, Sep 5 : A new National Auto Policy is currently being readied which will lay emphasis on reducing vehicular emissions as well as on green mobility, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete said on Wednesday.
Also in the offing is the second edition of the Centre's Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (Fame) programme which expires in December, Geete said in his inaugural address at the annual session here of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA).
"We are going to come out with a new auto policy which will accomodate the wishes of the entire industry and take their suggestions into account," Geete said.
According to ministry officials here, discussions with various stakeholders have been on for the past six months to frame the new policy, which envisages having a nodal regulatory body for the automobile industry.
The draft policy released earlier had recommended rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure for automobiles by replacing the current classification criteria with a composite criterion based on vehicle length and carbon dioxide emissions.
"Government is also going to come out with a Fame 2 scheme in the future as Fame 1 is coming to an end on December 31," Geete said.
"I am currently not in a position to divulge more details about Fame 2 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make more announcements on this at the electric mobility summit here later this week."
Geete complimented ACMA for keeping the Indian industry up-to-date with the latest innovations, and said the body is an integral complement to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) who are going to hold their annual session here on Thursday.
In his address earlier, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the country's economy needs to be strengthened by reducing crude oil imports through use of bio-fuels and increasing exports by the automobile industry.
"We are thinking seriously on how we can reduce the 'permit raj' in the field of alternate fuels and electric mobility," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Women''s Bill: Stalin says proposal amid polls raises suspicion; backs 33 per cent reservation
Chennai (PTI): Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.
Stalin alleged the timing for the proposed amendment led to serious suspicion.
"Why push such a far-reaching decision in the middle of state elections. This appears to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives, much like earlier attempts to influence women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections," he alleged in a statement titled "This is not reform, this is reengineering power."
Further, he said: "Let me be unequivocal: we strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."
Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census. "Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.
"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he alleged. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."
The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.
The Dravidian party chief claimed: "What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."
This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character.
More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.
"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South’s share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."
Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan and A Revanth Reddy have rightly warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions, the DMK president alleged.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.
He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.
