Hyderabad

Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy, on Sunday, encouraged indigenous manufacturing in the Electric Vehicle and allied sectors, even as he underscored that India should become self-sufficient in critical minerals used by the industry.

Mr. Reddy was speaking at the unveiling of KETO Motors’ commercial bus, which he flagged off along with Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Y. Nagi Reddy, in the presence of Venkatesh Challa, Director, KETO Motors Limited.

The Minister said the country faced a supply issue of these minerals after Operation Sindoor as China, from where they are imported, disrupted supplies for up to eight months. In order to achieve self sufficiency, the National Critical Mineral Mission was launched with an outlay of ₹34,000 crore.

“Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper, which will serve as the backbone for future sectors like electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors, defence and AI, hold strategic importance comparable to oil,” he said, and pointed out that the Government of India, along with other players, is acquiring mining blocks in countries where such minerals can be mined and processed for India.

He said there was complete support from the Union government for the electric vehicle sector. “Electric mobility is not merely an alternative to petrol and diesel vehicles. It is paving a strong path for the country’s energy security, pollution control, import reduction and technological self-reliance,” he said.

Touching upon KETO Motors’ developments, he said,“The success achieved by KETO Motors stands as a testament to indigenous capability. Let us hope that KETO Motors continues to contribute significantly to the nation’s economic growth and employment generation by developing eco-friendly transportation systems through advanced research in the future.

Mr. Nagi Reddy said that the only way to address traffic congestion caused largedly by the massive number of private vehicles was to improve public transport, including buses. Under the PM eDrive scheme, as many as 800 buses would join the TGSRTC fleet this December and another 1,400 buses the following December under the gross cost contract model. He added that in the coming years, very few Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) buses would remain.