New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said Chinese companies have not invested in road projects in India lately. Amid the border standoff with China, Gadkari, in July 2020, said India would not allow Chinese companies to participate in road projects, including through joint ventures.

When asked by PTI about whether Chinese companies have invested in India’s road projects lately, Gadkari replied in the negative.

However, he did not elaborate on the question.

In a recent interview with PTI, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Gadkari also said India will need to increase exports and reduce imports.

To another question on Tesla, the US electric car maker, to reduce import duties on electric vehicles (EVs) in India, Gadkari said: “The decision to give Tesla tax relief will be taken by the Ministry of Finance “.

In a letter to the Highways Department, the US firm said the effective import tariff of 110 percent on vehicles with a customs value over US $ 40,000 is “prohibitive” for zero-emission vehicles.

He called on the government to standardize the tariff on electric cars to 40 percent regardless of customs value, and to remove the 10 percent social surcharge on electric cars.

Gadkari said the government is looking for prospects for green hydrogen as a potential fuel for transportation.

“To make India the future, we will have to increase our exports and reduce our imports,” he said.