Cabinet funds scrapping of old NCR trucks and buses

A two-year, ₹9,585-crore scheme nudges BS-IV and older trucks and buses across Delhi-NCR toward BS-VI or electric.

What happened

• The Union Cabinet approved a two-year scheme to cut air pollution in Delhi-NCR by retiring old, high-emission commercial vehicles.
• It incentivises owners of trucks and buses meeting only BS-IV or earlier emission norms to scrap them and buy BS-VI/stricter or electric vehicles (EVs).
• The scheme has a total outlay of ₹9,585 crore — ₹5,041 crore from the Centre plus an estimated ₹1,601 crore in tax concessions from the States.
• It is funded through the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, and implemented by the Ministries of Road Transport & Highways and Petroleum & Natural Gas, with Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• About 2.07 lakh owners (1.91 lakh trucks and 16,329 buses) are targeted, through a fully digital portal for eligibility checks and benefit transfers.

For Prelims

• The core idea: a targeted fleet-renewal and scrappage incentive aimed only at the dirtiest segment — old trucks and buses in the NCR — rather than a blanket ban on all old vehicles.
• Outlay split: ₹9,585 cr total = ₹5,041 cr Central support + ~₹1,601 cr in State tax concessions (registration-fee and motor-vehicle-tax waivers), the rest being other costs.
• Who runs it: funded via the NCRPB (the statutory regional planning body for the NCR) under MoHUA; implemented by MoRTH and MoP&NG, in collaboration with the four participating States/UTs — Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• What qualifies: trucks and buses registered in the NCR that meet BS-IV or earlier norms. BS-III or older must be scrapped at Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs); BS-IV vehicles may be scrapped or sold outside the NCR in non-NCAP cities.
• Delhi's stricter rule: within Delhi, new light goods vehicles bought under the scheme must be electric, and new buses must be BS-VI CNG or electric only — a sharper push than the rest of the NCR.
• The incentive stack: 5% interest subvention on loans for five years; monthly fuel vouchers worth up to ₹4,800 (by vehicle category); lump-sum benefits for EV purchase; an 8% discount from participating OEMs; State waiver of registration fees and up to 100% motor-vehicle-tax concession.
• Why target trucks and buses: per the ARAI–TERI source-apportionment study (2018), the transport sector contributes 14% of PM2.5, 40% of CO and 63% of NOx in the NCR; within transport, trucks and buses cause 36% of PM2.5 while being just 3% of the fleet.
• The emissions arithmetic: a single pre-BS heavy-duty vehicle emits as much as 14 BS-VI vehicles, and even a BS-IV vehicle emits 2.7 times a BS-VI one — so replacing a small, dirty sub-fleet yields outsized air-quality gains.
• Curator-verified context: the NCRPB was set up under the National Capital Region Planning Board Act, 1985 (under MoHUA); India's BS-VI norms went nationwide on 1 April 2020 (Delhi from April 2018); and the scheme dovetails with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in January 2019 with a target of cutting particulate pollution sharply by 2025-26.
• Exclusions: government vehicles are excluded from the scheme — a likely 'what it is NOT' trap.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.14 · GS3.9 · Linkage L1