Budget 2021: FM Announces Voluntary Scrapping Policy; 20-Yr-Old Private Vehicles To Undergo Fitness Test

Budget 2021 Scrapping Policy: All private vehicles beyond 20 years and commercial vehicles older than 15 years old will have to undergo fitness test. 

After battling Covid-19 for almost a year, Finance Mnister Nirmala Sitharaman has finally released India’s historic and paperless budget for the first time on Monday.  Sitharaman reached the Parliament claded in a red border saree carrying a 'Made-In-India' tablet to announce the paperless Budget. Under the ‘swachh bharat Bharat’ and ‘Swasth Bharat’ abhiyan, the FM announced several measures including the voluntary scrapping policy regarding vehicles. The FM said a fitness test after 20 years for personal vehicles; after 15 years for commercial vehicles will be made mandatory.  Also Read: Budget 2021: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Ditches 'Bahi Khata' For Tablet As It Is 'Paperless'

The Scrapping policy is aimed at removing unfit vehicles on a voluntary basis. The vehicle scrappage policy will help reduction in pollution by the way of removing old vehicles off the country's roads. Vehicles to undergo fitness test in automated fitness centres .

Earlier, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, while talking about vehicle scrappage policy in India, Gadkari explained the policy will also help bring down price of vehicles in India. In addition to that, he also expects India's vehicle scrappage policy to deliver a much-need boost to the automobile industry’s turnover and stressed that the policy will also help in incentivising mass adoption of electric vehicles.

In her third announcement of Budget, the FM mentioned about enduring the loss of near and dear ones because eof the pandemic. She quoted the lines of Rabndra Nath Tagore, “Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.”

“We announced announced five mini budgets to the tune of Rs 27.1 lakh crore ie 13% of our GDP,” said the finance minister. She cited the unprecendented contraction in global economy besides emphasising on several measures taken during the pandemic to help India tide over the crises.