E-mobility: Government may restructure 2 apex bodies for better inter-ministerial interface

With an aim to propel the Centre's e-mobility initiatives, the government is likely to restructure two apex bodies -- the National Council for Electric Mobility and the National Board for Electric Mobility -- to ensure better inter-ministerial coordination.

The restructuring proposal was mooted by government think tank Niti Aayog for "providing a leadership and inter-ministerial coordination" and a Cabinet note is being drafted to formalise the suggestion, officials told PTI.

According to the proposal, the National Council for Electric Mobility may be restructured under the chairmanship of finance minister and the National Board for Electric Mobility may be reconstituted as the Apex Monitoring Commitee, headed by Cabinet Secretary with Secretaries from related departments as members, for inter-ministerial coordination, sources said.

The Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha at a meeting last month had also recommended that steps may be taken in regard to the monitoring structure proposed by the Niti Aayog.

More than six years after it was approved by then Congress-led UPA government, the Centre last year constituted the National Board for Electric Mobility to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicles and their components.

The UPA Government had on March 31, 2011 cleared the proposals for launch of the National Mission for Electric Mobility and setting up of a National Board for Electric Mobility (NBEM) and National Council for Electric Mobility.

The NBEM, chaired by the Secretary of Department of Heavy Industry, comprises senior bureaucrats as members, including secretaries in the Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Revenue, the ministries of power, road transport and highways, petroleum and Natural Gas, among others.

It also has six nominated members of eminence and expertise from the automobile industry, academia and research and development.

These include Vikram Kirloskar, CMD, Kirloskar Systems Ltd; Vinod Dashari, MD, Ashok Leyland; Pawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra and Mahindra; Annamalai Hemalatha, MD, Ampere Vehicles Ltd and Sudarshan Venu, Joint MD, TVS Motors.

The NBEM recommends policy guidelines and government interventions and possible strategies for promoting electric mobility and for encouraging manufacture of electric vehicles in the country.

One of its key functions is to explore and recommend collaborations and tie-ups for technology acquisitions, obtaining technical experts and explore possible agreements with leading R&D centres globally to facilitate availability of technology to the domestic industry.