New Delhi: The government has asked carmakers
to consider manufacturing at least one or two models meant for
physically challenged persons, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
"The government has been advising the car manufacturers
to consider manufacturing at least one or two models of their
cars suitable to be driven by the physically challenged
persons," Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprises Arun Yadav said in a reply in the Lok Sabha.
The government is also providing excise duty concessions
on vehicles meant for physically challenged people, he said.
Yadav said as per Society of Indian Automobile
Manufacturers (SIAM), the Indian carmakers, who were earlier
providing vehicles with automatic transmission for physically
challenged persons, had to discontinue the same since the
demand for such vehicles is rare and making them available
"off the shelf" is not economically viable.
He, however, said that SIAM has also informed that the
Indian automobile industry is committed to manufacturing such
vehicles, on specific order, to suit the disability of person.
Bureau Report
