The Centre on Monday notified the constitution of the National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM). It also nominated six members of eminence and expertise from the automobile industry into it, including Vikram Kirloskar (Toyota Kirloskar Motors), Vinod Dasari (Ashok Leyland), Pawan Goenka (Mahindra & Mahindra and Sudarshan Venu (TVS Motors).

The nominated members will have a tenure of two years or until further government order, whichever is earlier. The members can be re-nominated for additional terms, if needed, said an official release.

The Board will be chaired by the Secretary, the Department of Heavy Industry, and will comprise senior bureaucrats as members, including secretaries in the Departments of Economic Affairs, Revenue, Power, Road Transport and Highways, and Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The notification comes six years after its approval by the UPA government. The Cabinet chaired by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had on March 31, 2011, cleared the proposal for the launch of NBEM and the National Council for Electric Mobility (NCEM).

The NBEM will examine, formulate and propose short- as well as long-term plans and contours of the mission programme on electric mobility, its objectives, quantifiable outcomes and roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders.

It will propose and recommend policy guidelines and government interventions and possible strategies for promoting electric mobility and for encouraging manufacture of electric vehicles in the country.

One of its key functions will be to explore and recommend collaborations and tie-ups for technology acquisitions, obtaining technical experts and explore possible agreements with leading R&D centres globally to facilitate availability of technology to the domestic industry, the government notification said.

The Board will coordinate and resolve difference of opinion, if any, among Ministries. It will examine, recommend, monitor and review electric mobility-related R&D projects and pilot projects and also evaluate and propose business models for popularising electric mobility. It will also formulate strategies and give directions to the various ministries and other stakeholders for implementing the decisions of NCEM.

The Board may, as deemed fit, also constitute sub-committees for looking into various specific aspects, the notification added.

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