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Union Minister Prahlad Joshi urged Uber to assist drivers in transitioning to electric vehicles, aligning with PM Modi's clean mobility goals. He emphasised consumer interests and discussed renewable energy initiatives.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (unseen) calls on Union Minister Prahlad Joshi to discuss Uber's operations and its future roadmap in the country at Krishi Bhawan, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (@JoshiPralhad/ANI Photo)(@JoshiPralhad)Speaking on the sidelines of the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday said he had asked Uber to play a greater role in helping drivers and fleet owners switch to electric vehicles, adding that the move aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader push to promote clean mobility.
The minister mentioned the talks with Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive also covered consumer-related issues, according to ANI.
What did Prahlad Joshi say?
"He had come to meet me. I have told him two things. Being one of the largest networks, I have requested him and insisted to him that he should support the people, the drivers and the owners of the Uber fleet to convert into EV vehicles," Joshi stated.
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Minister Prahlad Joshi asked Uber to play a greater role in helping drivers and fleet owners switch to electric vehicles and discussed consumer affairs issues, emphasizing that consumer interests are paramount.
The government is promoting EV adoption through schemes like PM E-Drive, which supports the installation of public EV charging stations. Minister Prahlad Joshi also highlighted the attractiveness of charging EVs with rooftop solar during the day to lower operating costs.
The Indian government aims to increase its installed renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030, up from the current 288 GW. This aligns with the push for clean mobility and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Reducing fuel consumption is crucial due to global turmoil, particularly in West Asia, which impacts India's heavy dependence on crude oil imports. This helps manage supplies, conserve foreign exchange reserves, and achieve net-zero carbon emission goals.
Adequate EV charging infrastructure is critical for accelerating EV adoption by reducing range anxiety among potential buyers. The government is actively working to scale up charging facilities across the country under schemes like PM E-Drive.
Joshi said the meeting also covered consumer affairs issues and the need to comply with government directives designed to safeguard consumer interests. He further referred to PM Modi's call to promote the use of solar pumps and expand the adoption of renewable energy.
"There were some issues related to consumer affairs. We told them that consumer interest is paramount. They have agreed and said they will self-audit everything and come back to us," he stated.
“PM spoke about solar pumps and also about EVs. As far as solar pumps are concerned, we have already given a major push under the PM Kusum scheme," Joshi added.
He noted that the government has launched PM-KUSUM 2.0 to broaden the scope of the programme.
Joshi said that charging electric vehicles during the day using electricity generated from rooftop solar systems can substantially lower operating expenses.
"And EVs too, when charged during daytime through rooftop solar, then the cost per mile is so attractive that nobody will shift to regular vehicles," he remarked.
Addressing participants at the CII Annual Business Summit 2026, he also said that India remains well positioned despite global uncertainties and pointed to the country’s continued advances in the energy sector.
"India is quite safe in the current world circumstances," he stated.
Joshi said India’s installed renewable energy capacity has reached 288 GW, with the government aiming to increase it to 500 GW by 2030.
He noted that the country recently met a peak electricity demand of 256 GW without disruption, contrasting it with the widespread power outage in North India in July 2012, when demand had touched 123 GW.
Joshi added that, despite reports of a 7% decline in renewable energy investments globally, India continues to draw robust investment into the sector.
(With inputs from ANI)
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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