NITI Aayog Calls Electric Mobility a Strategic Imperative for Viksit Bharat 2047

Electric mobility is a strategic imperative for the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba said on Tuesday, pointing to a global shift toward cleaner transport that he described as both an economic and environmental necessity for India.

Speaking at the NITI Aayog Workshop on State EV Policies, where the think tank released the second edition of the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) report, Gauba said geopolitical friction could accelerate the transition. The recent West Asia crisis, he noted, could prove a major inflection point for electric mobility, much as the oil crises of the 1970s spurred a global push for greater fuel efficiency.

He cited international sales data to illustrate the pace of adoption. In 2025, electric cars made up about one-tenth of new car sales in the United States, more than a quarter in the European Union and over half in China, with market shares expected to rise further worldwide.

For India, Gauba flagged heavy import vulnerability as a central reason to move quickly. The country depends on foreign suppliers for nearly 89 per cent of its crude oil requirements, a reliance that is set to grow with rising vehicle ownership unless electric vehicles are adopted more widely at home.

He underscored the automotive sector's weight in the economy, contributing roughly 7.1 per cent of national gross domestic product and supporting close to 1.9 crore jobs. Keeping the industry aligned with global electric trends was important, he said, as were efforts to address the substantial public health costs of vehicular pollution in cities such as Delhi.

On fiscal support, Gauba said more than Rs 92,000 crore has been deployed across initiatives including FAME, PM E-DRIVE and PM E-bus Sewa. Two production-linked incentive schemes — one for automobiles and auto components, and another for advanced chemistry cell battery storage — are backing manufacturing, he added.

Charging infrastructure is also expanding through the efforts of oil marketing companies and private players, while the newly launched Unified Bharat e-Charge app is expected to improve public access and convenience.

At the sub-national level, 29 of 36 states and union territories have notified dedicated EV policies. IEMI data showed the highest state score rising from 77 to 84 over the past year, with the median score moving up from 36 to 40.

Gauba said differing strategies across states — shaped by distinct industrial bases, fiscal room and geography — are an advantage rather than an obstacle, provided administrations learn from one another. He urged states to prioritise electrification of urban public transport, build spatially balanced and reliable charging networks, and direct capital toward local research and innovation.