PARIVARTAN Scheme
Why in News?
The PARIVARTAN Scheme has been in the news because the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), along with the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), has approved detailed guidelines and a ₹9,585 crore outlay to accelerate the replacement of old, polluting trucks and buses in the Delhi–NCR region with cleaner BS‑VI or electric commercial vehicles.
Meaning and Scope
- Full Form: PARIVARTAN stands for Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air Pollution and Network Emissions.
- Primary Objective: To drastically curb severe winter smog and PM2.5 air pollution in the Delhi-NCR zone.
- Target Vehicles: Specifically aims to phase out and replace older, highly polluting commercial heavy vehicles (trucks and buses).
- The Green Shift: Replaces obsolete fleets with modern Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) compliant or zero-emission Electric Vehicles (EVs).
- Central Budgetary Support: The Government of India is directly contributing ₹5,041 crore to fund the program.
- Implementing Ministry: Executed directly by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
- Funding Agency: Financed through the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) to ensure regional coordination.
- Geographic Coverage: Spans across the NCT of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Tax Concessions: A guaranteed 10-year Motor Vehicle Tax concession provided by the state governments.
- Fee Waivers: Complete waivers on registration fees for new eco-friendly commercial vehicles.
- Loan Subvention: A 5% interest subvention on bank loans taken to purchase replacement vehicles.
- Manufacturer Discounts: 11 major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), covering 95% of the market, signed MoUs to offer a minimum 8% direct discount.
- Fuel Support: Monthly fuel vouchers distributed to operators opting for clean CNG or diesel BS-VI models.
- EV Assistance: Direct, one-time financial grant assistance for upgrading to pure electric trucks or buses.
- Scrappage Bonuses: Built-in enablement for trading Certificates of Deposit (CoD) received after dismantling vehicles at registered scrap yards.
- Integrated Delivery Platform: The scheme will operate entirely through a centralized digital network to ensure corruption-free, end-to-end digital delivery.
- System Interfacing: The platform connects seamlessly with India's VAHAN registry, V-Scrap portal, DigiELV network, and the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for direct benefit transfers.
