New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said he will unveil a 100 per cent ethanol-fueled variant of Toyota's Innova car on August 29. The Union minister, who has been exhorting automakers to come out with alternative fuel-powered and green vehicles, had last year launched a hydrogen-powered car, Toyota Mirai EV.
"On August 29, I am going to launch the popular (Toyota) Innova car on 100 per cent ethanol," Gadkari said while addressing the Mint Sustainability Summit here. This car will be World's first BS-VI (Stage-II), electrified flex-fuel vehicle. Gadkari said that he started taking interest in biofuels in 2004 after the petrol price hike in the country and visited Brazil for this purpose.
He opined that biofuels can do wonders and save a lot of forex which is being spent on the import of petroleum. "If we want to become Atamnirbhar (self-reliant) we have to bring this oil import to zero. At present it is Rs 16 lakh crore. This is a big loss to the economy," Gadkari said. He stressed that India needs to take more sustainable measures as pollution is a big problem in the country.
"We have taken a lot of (sustainability) initiatives but we need to take more because pollution is a problem. Ecology and the environment are very important. We need to reduce air and water pollution. We have to improve the quality of water in our rivers. This is a big challenge. We need to protect our ecology and environment," he said. He also said that various road projects worth Rs 65,000 crore are expected to be completed by the year end which includes the construction of the Dwarka Expressway.
He also pointed toward the harmful impact of chemical fertilizers and pesticides saying this causes cancer-like diseases. He opined that organic farming can create a lot of wealth and move us towards sustainability. "We need to educate people to change waste into wealth," he said. He also hoped that the logistic cost would come down to nine per cent from 14 to 16 per cent at present with the construction of more highways. (PTI)
