Minister addresses law conference on environment challenges Naina Mishra Chandigarh, November 16 The government was mulling to make electric vehicles that could be run on solar power, Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said while addressing a global law conference on environment challenges at Chandigarh University (CU) here today. Goyal said, “We believe India can make the first electric vehicle to be run on solar power that all our young children will buy.” While encouraging the common man to buy electric vehicles, he said the government was giving a number of subsidies to the buyer, which was another way to reduce vehicular pollution. It would help the country in saving billions of dollars in foreign exchange. Goyal said the Centre would launch solar projects producing 1 lakh gigawatts (GW) by 2020. He said the government was contemplating big projects in the field of solar energy. This would contribute to the area of environment as the country would be able to meet its energy requirements and this would lessen their dependence on thermal plants. He further said in another four years, the Indian Railways would have 100 per cent electric railway tracks, which was more than 1,20,000 kilometres of the track. “In another 10 years down the line, the Railways will generate as much energy as much we require to run the entire railway network without adding to pollution or ozone layer depletion,” he added. The government is contemplating big projects in the field of solar energy. This will contribute to the area of environment as the country will be able to meet its energy requirements. —

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