Gadkari plans to revoke ban on e-rickshaws, but denies commercial interest

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said he will revoke a ban on e-rickshaws in the capital, and added that people who are willing to buy them will be given loans at low interest rates. Now this piece of new raises eyebrows over the vested interest Gadkari has in this line of business, since his family owns a company that manufactures e-rickshaws. The Indian Express reports that Purti Green Technologies (PGT) Private Limited, registered in 2011, is one of the companies of the Purti Group founded by Gadkari — he was chairman until 2011. PGT is one of seven companies licensed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to manufacture and sell battery-run rickshaws in 2012. [caption id=“attachment_1597895” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Nitin Gadkari. AFP[/caption] While questions were asked on the commercial interest Gadkari’s company and his family had in the e-rickshaw manufacturing sector, the minister denied it. Gadkari put out a statement denying any such interest. He also told The Indian Express, “These rickshaws are being manufactured by various companies and no particular manufacturer has got monopoly over its production nor is any one banned from doing so… As far as encouraging banks to provide loan to e-rickshaw owners at 3% is concerned, I have already written to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Union finance minister Shri Arun Jaitley to do the needful.” Meanwhile Zee News also reported that the statment said, ““Neither Gadkari nor any member of his family is associated with any e-rickshaw manufacturing firm.”