Ashok Leyland To Set Up Electric Bus Manufacturing Unit In UP, MoU Inked

Lucknow, Sep 16 (TNA) Ashok Leyland, the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, will set up an electric bus manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed between Ashok Leyland and the Uttar Pradesh government in a program organized in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday.

On this occasion, welcoming Ashok Leyland to Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister said that it was a historical milestone for the people of the state and mused on how it was surprising that Ashok Leyland had not yet had a presence in a state with a huge population of 25-30 crores and the largest youth capital in the country.

He further added that the state government was committed to providing security and facilities to every investor abnd pointed out that Ashok Leyland's decision to invest in Uttar Pradesh is timely and the entire Hinduja Group will benefit from it.

CM Yogi Adityanath said that this step of Ashok Leyland is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the country is determined to reduce dependence on traditional fuel options. The Uttar Pradesh government is keen to attract private sector investment in line with the Net Zero mission.

Present at the signing of the MoU, Ashok Leyland Chairman Dhiraj Hinduja said that we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Ashok Leyland this year. Signing this MoU with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to set up a manufacturing plant in the state expresses our commitment to shape it. Today the administrative environment in Uttar Pradesh is favorable for the development of industries and the company is ready to take full advantage of it, he pointed out.

Dheeraj Hinduja thanked the Chief Minister and his entire team for the quick decisions. Praising the state government, he said that today Uttar Pradesh has become a 'dynamic state' under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Giving information about the proposed unit, he said that this new unit of Uttar Pradesh will start in the next 18 months.

Work on various dimensions of e-mobility will be done here in a phased manner. He told that we are working on a plan to convert our entire fleet of company diesel buses and commercial vehicles to electric and other alternative fuels in the coming years.

Under the MoU, Ashok Leyland will set up an integrated commercial vehicle bus plant focused on e-mobility in Uttar Pradesh, which will be Ashok Leyland's first plant in the state. Under the partnership, Ashok Leyland will primarily focus on the production of electric buses, with facilities to assemble other vehicles powered by currently available fuels as well as emerging alternative fuels.