India's subsidies to petrol and diesel between October 2018and June 2019 amounted to almost three times the three-year government budgetfor electric vehicle (EV) support, a new study revealed on Thursday.

The study by Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) of theInternational Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) said the governmentcould redirect the money collected in tax via petrol and diesel towards EVs andsee far more growth.

Despite the commitment to reduce air pollution and achieveat least 30 per cent of new vehicle sales being electric by 2030, the Indiangovernment subsidised conventional transport by Rs 26,957 crore over the lastnine months, far outpacing the Rs 10,000 crore spending over three years on itsflagship EV program and faster adoption and manufacturing of electric vehicles.