Gadkari pitches for e-vehicles, alternative fuels

Amid the concerns of rising fuel prices, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday pitched for e-vehicles and said the country should opt for "alternative fuel".

"My suggestion is that this is the time for the country to go for alternative fuel. I am already propagating electricity as a fuel because India has surplus electricity," Gadkari told reporters here.

Gadkari, who is also Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said the government is also trying to develop hydrogen fuel cells.

"We are making 81 per cent of lithium-ion batteries in India. My ministry took initiative today to get an alternative for lithium-ion. All concerned government laboratories are conducting research. The ministry is also trying to develop hydrogen fuel cells," he said.

The prices of petrol and diesel have been rising steadily for the past several weeks.

( With inputs from ANI )