Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has reportedly said that driverless cars will not be allowed in India to protect the jobs of drivers. 

According to a report by Business Today, Gadkari said, “I will never allow driverless cars to come into India because it will take away the jobs of several drivers and I will not let that happen”.

Meanwhile, Gadkari said that if driverless cars are introduced in India then approximately 70-80 lakh people would lose their jobs instantly, creating another significant problem.

While addressing road safety concerns during the Zero Mile Samvad hosted by IIM Nagpur, Gadkari outlined several measures taken by the government to mitigate road accidents, including changes in automotive engineering such as adding six airbags in cars, reducing black spots on roads, and increasing fines through the Electric Motors Act.

“We have increased fines via the Electric Motors Act, kept ambulances and cranes so that things only become better from here. We also raise awareness every year,” Gadkari said. 

On Tesla’s entry into India, he said that the US car maker is invited to operate in India, but manufacturing in China for sales in India is not permissible. 

The statement comes at a time when Tesla is looking to enter the Indian market and also set up a manufacturing unit in the country.

Further, Gadkari emphasised the importance of hydrogen as the fuel of the future and expressed the government’s commitment to adopting advanced technology to improve public infrastructure. 

Gadkari publicly expressed his disapproval of driverless cars in the country in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

In 2019, Gadkari opposed the introduction of driverless cars in India, expressing concern about potential unemployment. He emphasised the need for employment growth, highlighting a shortage of around 22 lakh drivers in India. He asserted that addressing this shortage could play a crucial role in overcoming unemployment challenges in the country.

Earlier in December 2018, Gadkari reportedly said that driverless cars would not be allowed in India. “Presently, there are 30 lakh people who are getting employment (through the automobile industries). And in our economy, the most important thing is how to create more employment potential as our country’s population is very high,” he had added. 

In 2017, he stated that driverless cars were not a necessity in India at that time. According to him, the need of the hour was electric vehicles that were less polluting and more energy-efficient than cars running on conventional fossil fuels.