New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said India needs to accelerate its shift toward alternative fuels, biofuels, new technology and innovation to address rising air pollution. Addressing the ICVA Green Returns Summit 2025, he said that in any country or society, three important sectors are “ethics, economy, ecology and environment.”
Follow Energy Watch on X
“Ecology and environment are very important... I do not need to explain about the air pollution... you are already experiencing the problem (air pollution), we are facing in Delhi,” he said. Gadkari noted that “40 percent of air pollution is due to transport fuel,” calling it a major challenge for the country, particularly the national capital.
India is spending Rs 22 lakh crore on fossil fuel imports, and because of this import dependence, “we are facing the problem of pollution,” he said. “So, we need to focus on alternative fuel and biofuel to reduce pollution.”
According to the morning air quality bulletin issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s air quality index remained in the very poor category at 360 on Tuesday, after touching 382 on Monday. “India can also reduce pollution by developing new technology and new innovations,” he added.
Gadkari said India’s logistics cost will fall to single digits by December this year, supported by the rapid expansion of expressways and economic corridors. He cited a recent report prepared by IIT Chennai, IIT Kanpur and IIM Bangalore, which showed that construction of expressways and economic corridors has helped reduce logistics costs to 10 percent from 16 percent.
“India's logistics cost will come down to 9 percent by December, which will help India become more competitive,” he said. He noted that logistics costs stand at 12 percent in the US and European countries, and between 8–10 percent in China.
Gadkari said India is targeting the top global position in the automobile sector over the next five years. “Within five years, our target is to make India's automobile industry the number 1 in the world,” he said.
“When I took charge as the transport minister, the size of the Indian automobile industry was Rs 14 lakh crore. The size of the Indian automobile industry now is Rs 22 lakh crore,” he added.
Currently, the US automobile industry is valued at Rs 78 lakh crore, followed by China at Rs 47 lakh crore and India at Rs 22 lakh crore.
The minister also emphasised the role of agriculture in accelerating GDP growth. He said farmers earned an additional Rs 45,000 crore by producing ethanol from corn after the government permitted bio-ethanol production from the crop.
Follow Energy Watch on LinkedIN
Earlier, corn prices were Rs 1,200 per quintal, which rose to Rs 2,800 per quintal after the policy shift, he said.
“We have given an additional Rs 45,000 crore to farmers of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and the reason is that the corn plantation has increased three times in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. That is going to increase the growth in these states,” he said.
