New Delhi, Mar 16 (IANS): India has been producing 81 per cent of Lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles in the country, Road Transports and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.

Noting that the electric vehicle is a success story, he told the Rajya Sabha, in response to a question, that there has been a substantial increase in electric vehicles in India - from 24,600 in 2020, to over 49,500 now.

Gadkari also said that several startups in the country are also working on alternate battery technologies.

Following the line of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' he told the house that the government will reduce imports and within two years, the use of clean fuel, alternative fuel, and bio-fuel will increase in the country.

To CPI-M member John Brittas who asked about the Centre's model policy to promote EVs, Gadkari said that GST rate for EVs are only five percent. He also said that the alternative power sources should be focused upon.

Calling "green hydrogen" the fuel for the future, he noted that it is being used across Europe.

Responding to Congress lawmaker Jairam Ramesh's question if the government has a plan to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles in the country over the next few years, Gadkari said that the government has launched scrapping policy to tackle the issue.

He further said the shift towards electric vehicles would be a natural choice of people because of its benefits financially as well as it being good for the environment. However, he also said that he would not commit any target towards the phase-out but the scenario will change in three years.