Nadda Visits NIPER Mohali, Reviews Biopharma Research and Innovation (See 'Corp Brief') BIS publishes six New Standards for Priority Assistive Products (See 'Corp Brief') Atmanirbhar Panchayat Program to focus on strengthening financial self-reliance of Panchayats (See 'Corp Brief') Bharat Khera Assumes Charge as Secretary, Ministry of MSME (See 'Corp Brief') Pilibhit in UP to get India's first integrated Basmati, organic training-cum-demo farm (See 'Corp Brief') FTA integrates Ayurveda and yoga into modern trade frameworks (See 'Corp Brief') India Grounds $6.1 Billion Investments in FY26, Expects 31,000 Jobs (See 'Corp Brief') Companies Act - Continuation of Look Out Circular invalid where no FIR is registered against person, all prior travel permissions are complied with & no material exists to show likelihood of him absconding: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Op Sindoor demonstrates transition from diplomatic statements to concrete action on terror (See 'Corp Brief') NARCL contributes to improving recovery outcomes & unlocking value for lenders (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Issues relating to validity of trademark registrations, alleged misrepresentation, and authenticity of documents would be examined at trial, if no party is able to establish substantial goodwill in their respective marks: HC (See 'Legal Desk') DRDO & Indian Navy conduct maiden successful Salvo launch of NASM-SR missiles (See 'Corp Brief') Sacred relics of Lord Buddha arrive in Leh, witnesses spiritual gathering (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Separate properties of another company or LLP cannot be attached merely because of shareholding linkage, absent demonstrated money trail to such properties: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') Electrification of buses & trucks is essential for achieving India's decarbonisation targets (See 'Corp Brief') Health-Seeking Behaviour Strengthens as Proportion of Population Reported Ailing in 2025 Nearly Doubles (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Minimum default threshold u/s 4 is met in case involving operational debt denominated in foreign currency, if foreign currency amount is converted into Indian Rupees with reference to exchange rate prevailing on date of invoice: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') Railway Minister to Flag Off Extended Srinagar-Jammu Vande Bharat (See 'Corp Brief') Competition Act - Tender conditions & eligibility criteria are primarily within procurer's domain and, absent evidence that such clauses restricts competition or cause exclusionary harm, no intervention is warranted: CCI (See 'Legal Desk') Secretary, DFS Lauds MUDRA Schemes of Financial Inclusion with Public Sector Banks (See 'Corp Brief') Trade Mark - Defendants' conduct of running a coordinated fraudulent recruitment scheme, impersonating the plaintiffs & extracting money from each candidate, is deliberate exploitation of plaintiffs' goodwill & causes reputational harm: HC (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves Mizuho Securities to acquire certain equity of Avendus Capital (See 'Corp Brief') SAFEMA - Certain transaction falls within ambit of benami transaction where appellants failed to produce supporting material, despite opportunity, to establish legitimate source of funds either in hands of lender or alleged contributors: SAFEMA TRIBUNAL (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves merger of A1 Agri Global, B.N. Agritech & Salasar Balaji Overseas (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - If corporate debtor is solvent & functioning company, then insolvency process invoked only to secure payment of individual dues by initiation of CIRP, amounts to misuse of IBC as recovery mechanism: SC (See 'Legal Desk') CCI approves acquisition by MAIF in Maple IM, Maple PM & Maple Trust (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Attachment of a residential property upheld where Act itself permits attachment not only of property directly acquired from proceeds of crime, but also of untainted property representing equivalent value where actual proceeds of crime are unavailable or untraceable: HC (See 'Legal Desk') World IP day - Govt announces 3-year fee waiver for sports-related IP registrations (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - If statutory authority, during subsistence of moratorium u/s 14, directs bank to place lien on bank accounts of Corporate Debtor, and bank acts on same, it would amount to execution against Corporate Debtor and is barred by Sec 14: NCLT (See 'Legal Desk') Reining in Misuse of IBC for Recovery (See CORP EINSICHT)

NITI Aayog, Rocky Mountain release 'Banking on EVs in India' report

Published: Jan 21, 2022

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

NEW DELHI, JAN 21, 2022: NITI Aayog, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and RMI India today released a report, titled 'Banking on Electric Vehicles in India', which outlines the importance of priority-sector recognition for retail lending in the electric mobility ecosystem. The report provides considerations and recommendations to inform the inclusion of EVs in the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) priority-sector lending (PSL) guidelines.

Banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India have the potential to achieve an electric vehicle (EV) financing market size of Rs 40,000 crore (USD 5 billion) by 2025 and Rs 3.7 lakh crore (USD 50 billion) by 2030. However, retail finance for EVs has been slow to pick up.

"Financial institutions have an important role to play in accelerating the adoption of EVs in India and supporting the decarbonisation of road transport," said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. "RBI's PSL mandate has a proven track record of improving the supply of formal credit towards areas of national priority. It can provide a strong regulatory incentive for banks and NBFCs to scale their financing to EVs."

Priority-sector lending aims to expand financial access and support employment opportunities in India. In order to meet these goals, the report highlights that the RBI may consider various EV segments and use cases based on five parameters: socio-economic potential, livelihood generation potential, scalability, techno-economic viability, and stakeholder acceptability.

"Buyers are unable to access low-interest rates and long loan tenures for EVs as banks are concerned about resale value and product quality. Priority-sector lending can encourage banks to fast-track India's transition to EVs and help achieve our 2070 climate goals," said Clay Stranger, Managing Director, RMI.

The report indicates that electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and commercial four-wheelers are early segments to prioritise under PSL. Moving forward, the engagement of other ministries and industry stakeholders will be important to ensuring the guidelines designed can effectively enhance EV investment in India.

To maximise the impact of the inclusion of EVs, the report also recommends a clear sub-target and penalty mechanism for priority sector lending to renewable energy and EVs. Furthermore, it suggests recognition of EVs as an infrastructure sub-sector by the Ministry of Finance and the incorporation of EVs as a separate reporting category under the RBI. Multiprong solutions such as these are needed not only for EV penetration and businesses, but also for the financial sector and India's 2070 net-zero target.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES