Future of mobility in India based on 7C including Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion-free, Charged, Clean and Cutting-edge: PM Modi

New Delhi, September 7: After inaugurating the Global Mobility Summit at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted his vision for the future of mobility in India, which he said was based on 7 C’s including Common, Connected, Convenient, Congestion-free, Charged, Clean and Cutting-edge.

On the occasion, PM Modi also unveiled a mobility roadmap that seeks investments in manufacturing electric vehicles and increased use of public transport for travel, saying congestion-free mobility is critical to check economic and environmental costs of congestion.

Addressing the summit, he said, “India is on MOVE, Indian economy is on the MOVE as it is a world’s fastest growing major economy, cities and town are on the MOVE, infrastructure in on the MOVE.” “India is the world's fastest growing major economy that is building 100 smart cities and constructing roads, airports, rail lines and ports at a greater pace,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that clean mobility powered by clean energy is the most powerful weapon to fight climate change. "This means a pollution-free clean drive, leading to clean air and better living standards for our people. We should champion the idea of clean kilometres,” he added.

Highlighting his vision, PM Modi said, "My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs: common, connected, convenient, congestion-free, charged, clean, cutting-edge.” “The focus must be to go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters and rickshaws,” PM Modi said adding that common public transport must be the cornerstone of our mobility initiatives.

The Prime Minister also called for leveraging the full potential for vehicle pooling to improve private vehicle utilisation. "Congestion-free mobility is critical to check the economic and environmental costs of congestion," he added. Mobility should be safe, affordable and accessible for all sections of the society, he said.

Noting that charged mobility is the way forward, PM Modi said that the government wants to drive investments across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing. "We need to ensure that public transport is preferred to private modes of travel," he said adding that the Internet-enabled Connected Sharing Economy is emerging as the fulcrum of mobility."

“Mobility is a key driver of the economy and better mobility reduces the burden of travel and transportation, and can boost economic growth. It is already a major employer and can create the next generation of jobs," the PM noted.

Speaking on his government's achievements, he, in the end, said that the pace of construction of highways has doubled, rural road building programme has been re-energised, fuel efficient and cleaner fuel vehicles are being promoted and low-cost air connectivity in under-served regions is being developed.