Man files plea; wants Maruti to return SHVS subsidies

The National Green Tribunal has heard a plea filed against Maruti Suzuki, for refunding the SHVS subsidies that the company received for the sale of its Ciaz and Ertiga diesel models. The bench has asked for replies before February 21 from the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Environment and Forests, International Centre For Automotive Technology and Maruti Suzuki regarding the same.

According to the plea, the Ertiga and Ciaz models, which were called 'mild hybrid' by Maruti Suzuki, are not real hybrids and as a result, cannot be placed under the hybrid category for which, the company got over Rs. 95 crore under the FAME scheme. Further, the total subsidy given by the government was Rs. 150 crore till February 2017, out of which, Maruti Suzuki received the largest share (Rs. 95.61 crore). The applicant also revealed that while he was seeking clarity on the various rules and regulations for the 'mild hybrid' category, the government excluded this category from the FAME scheme.

The plea also revealed that the withdrawal of the incentives for the aforementioned cars happened just after the applicant filed RTI applications about the certification of these cars. The Ertiga and Ciaz SHVS models had each received Rs. 13,000 as incentives under the scheme.

Source - Economic Times