Mumbai: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has stated once again that he will not allow driverless automobiles in India, claiming that if autonomous vehicles are introduced, ‘up to 80 lakh drivers’ will be unemployed.
The minister, who is in charge of Road Transport and Highways in the Narendra Modi government, remarked Business Today at a recent event sponsored by IIM Nagpur.
“I said in the US itself that I will not allow driverless cars in India at any cost. This is because in our country, a large number of people work as drivers….driverless cars will, therefore, snatch their jobs,” said Gadkari.
The senior BJP leader continued: “…such vehicles are appropriate only for countries with small populations. However, if these come here, around 70-80 lakh people will lose their jobs just like that, and that would be another issue.”
Previously, Gadkari has publicly declared his objection to the notion of having autonomous automobiles in the country, once in July 2017 and once in December 2019, for the same rationale that individuals working as drivers will lose their jobs.
Meanwhile, at the IIM Nagpur event, the minister discussed current talks between the Modi government and Tesla, the Elon Musk-led world’s largest EV maker, regarding the firm considering constructing a facility in India.
“We welcome Tesla. But manufacturing in China, and selling in India, that is not possible. We are open to them manufacturing from here only,” he stated.
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