Delhi govt to switch its fleet of cars for electric vehicles within 6 months: Sisodia

New Delhi, Feb 25: The Delhi government on Thursday announced that it will switch its entire fleet of hired cars for electric vehicles within six months.

The government, which has over 2,000 cars in its fleet, said it hopes its decision will inspire other cities in the country and the world to tackle the issues of pollution and climate change with the urgency they deserve.

The announcement came a day after the Aam Aadmi Party-led government launched a campaign, ''Switch Delhi'', to encourage private vehicle owners to take a pledge to shift to electric vehicles and install a charging point within their premises in the next three years.

"It''s history! Driven by the vision of CM @ArvindKejriwal to make Delhi the ''Electric Vehicle capital'', Delhi govt today became the 1st in the world, not just India, to mandate its entire hired car fleet to switch to electric WITHIN a deadline- 6 mths. @SwitchDelhi begins at home," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.

"Over 2,000 cars will be impacted by this decision and will transition to EVs in next 6 months. We hope this decision inspires cities and govts around India and the world to tackle the pollution and climate change problem with the seriousness and urgency it deserves," he said.

The Delhi government had in August last year launched an Electric Vehicle Policy to tackle the problem of air pollution. Under the policy, it promised to waive registration fee, road tax, and provide an incentive of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for new cars in the national capital.

Under Delhi''s EV policy, 12 four-wheeler models are available and eligible for purchase and scrapping incentives.