Govt expects 25,000 registrations under Parivartan scheme to replace old trucks, buses in Delhi-NCR
Authorities project around 25,000 registrations by October under the Parivartan scheme, which aims to replace old, polluting commercial trucks and buses in the Delhi-NCR region with cleaner-emission or electric vehicles.
The scheme targets replacement of vehicles conforming to Bharat Stage (BS)-IV or earlier emission norms, offering financial incentives to owners who scrap old vehicles and purchase newer, compliant ones.
Major vehicle manufacturers have signed agreements to offer discounts on new vehicle purchases under the scheme.
The initiative is being implemented as part of the broader effort to cut vehicular pollution across the National Capital Region.
Vehicle Scrappage Policy (Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme)
India's national vehicle scrappage framework was launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2021 as the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (V-VMP), aimed at phasing out old, unfit and polluting vehicles through registered scrapping facilities and fitness-test-based deregistration rather than a blanket age cutoff.
Key Details
- Announced March 2021; formal notification/launch phases followed, with fitness-test-based provisions taking effect from June 2024.
- Under the policy, commercial vehicles over 15 years and passenger vehicles over 20 years must undergo mandatory fitness and emissions testing; failing vehicles are deregistered and scrapped.
- Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) issue a "Certificate of Deposit," which entitles the owner to incentives (tax rebates, discounts) when purchasing a new vehicle.
- Implemented alongside state-level incentives such as road tax rebates.
The Parivartan scheme is a Delhi-NCR-specific, better-funded overlay on this national scrappage architecture, targeting commercial trucks and buses specifically because they contribute disproportionately to particulate pollution in the region.
Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Delhi-NCR Vehicle Norms
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 2021 (replacing the earlier EPCA) as the statutory body empowered to issue binding directions on air pollution sources, including vehicular emissions, across Delhi and adjoining NCR districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Key Details
- The end-of-life vehicle rule — barring petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years from plying in Delhi-NCR — traces to a 2015 National Green Tribunal (NGT) direction, affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2018.
- CAQM has directed fuel stations in Delhi to deny fuel to vehicles that have crossed this age threshold, and has pushed for coordinated scrapping/impounding of such vehicles.
- As of March 2025, CAQM data placed the number of overaged ("end-of-life") vehicles in Delhi at over 6 million.
The Parivartan scheme provides the financial incentive structure (interest subsidies, tax waivers, OEM discounts) that makes compliance with CAQM's stricter end-of-life vehicle enforcement in Delhi-NCR more feasible for commercial vehicle owners, particularly truck and bus operators who cannot easily absorb replacement costs.
Air Pollution Sources and BS Emission Norms
Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards, based on European (Euro) norms, regulate permissible pollutant emissions (particulate matter, NOx, CO, hydrocarbons) from vehicles. India moved directly from BS-IV to BS-VI in April 2020, skipping BS-V, to curb vehicular contribution to urban air pollution, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic belt where Delhi-NCR sits.
Key Details
- BS-VI norms significantly tightened permissible NOx and particulate matter limits compared to BS-IV.
- Vehicular emissions are estimated to be a substantial contributor to Delhi's air pollution load, alongside stubble burning, industrial emissions, and construction dust.
- Commercial goods vehicles (trucks) are disproportionate contributors to particulate emissions relative to their numbers, due to diesel engines and higher mileage.
The Parivartan scheme's target — replacing BS-IV-or-older trucks and buses with BS-VI-compliant or electric vehicles — is a direct policy response designed to cut this vehicular emissions load in the capital region.
- Expected registrations under Parivartan by October: approximately 25,000.
- Total scheme outlay: approximately Rs 9,585 crore, including around Rs 5,041 crore in central budgetary support, funded through the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and implemented via the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
- Key incentives: a 5-percentage-point interest subsidy on vehicle loans for five years, a 100% road tax waiver for 10 years, and an OEM discount of at least 8% on ex-showroom price.
- Eleven major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have signed agreements to offer discounts under the scheme.
- National scrappage policy fitness thresholds: commercial vehicles over 15 years and passenger vehicles over 20 years require mandatory fitness testing.
- Delhi-NCR fuel-denial threshold (CAQM enforcement): petrol vehicles over 15 years, diesel vehicles over 10 years.