Gadkari says

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday highlighted the economic benefits of ethanol production, stating that farmers earned an additional ₹ 45,000 crore by producing ethanol from corn.

Speaking at the 20th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2025, Gadkari also estimated that the prices of electric vehicles (EVS) in India would reach equity with petrol-driven vehicles within the next four to six months.

“Within the next 4-6 months, the cost of electric vehicles will be equal to the cost of petrol vehicles,” he said.

The minister emphasized the importance of reducing India’s dependence on fossil fuels, given that of 22 lakh crore annual fuel is spent on imports, which he has described as both an economic burden and environmental threat.

Looking forward, Gadkari planned for the Indian automobile industry and said, “Within five years, we aim to make India’s automobile industry number 1 in the world.”

He said, “When I took over as the Minister of Transport, the size of the Indian automobile industry was ₹ 14 lakh crore. The size of the Indian automobile industry is now ₹ 22 lakh crore.”

For reference, the current size of the US automobile industry is 78 lakh crores, followed by China ₹ 47 lakh crore and ₹ 22 lakh crore in India.

(With input from PTI)