Centre earmarks ₹2,000 crore to encourage states to scrap old vehicles

The Union government has earmarked an additional ₹2,000 crore to states under the Special Assistance for Capital Investment scheme to incentivise them to scrap old vehicles as well as to provide tax concessions to individuals for it. The government in 2022-23 Budget had introduced the 'Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment' scheme with an outlay of ₹1.05 lakh crore. Under the scheme, financial assistance is being provided to state governments in the form of 50-year interest free loan for capital projects.

Now, the Central government has earmarked an additional ₹2,000 crore under the scheme to encourage states to scrap condemned government vehicles or those vehicles which are older than 15 years, besides providing tax concessions to individuals for scrapping old vehicles.

The finance ministry wrote a letter to the states last month, saying that a new sector road transport has been identified for providing incentive tied to prescribed reforms by states under the scheme.

While incentive for scrapping of old vehicles has been added to the scheme and an amount of ₹2,000 crore has been earmarked for scrapping state government vehicles which are older than 15 years, waiver of liabilities on old vehicles and providing tax concessions to individuals for scrapping of old vehicles.

With the inclusion of road transport sector, the total outlay under the scheme has increased to ₹1.07 lakh crore, from ₹1.05 lakh crore announced in the Budget. As of now, the government has approved ₹77,110 crore under the scheme, out of which ₹41,118 crore has been released to states.

The scheme aims to encourage states to undertake capital expenditure and has earmarked ₹80,000 crore for it. Besides, states are encouraged to push reforms like privatisation or disinvestment, digitisation, urban reforms, optical fibre cable projects and building rural roads.