The government is aiming to facilitate development of indigenous technology to help the country become self-reliant in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) sector by reducing dependence on the China-led supply chain, said Department of Science & Technology (DST) secretary Abhay Karandikar.

"We have launched a major programme in developing the technology and components for electric vehicles or e-mobility that includes three verticals," said Karandikar, who is also the chief executive of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

Established through the ANRF Act, 2023, which came into effect in February 2024, the foundation's board, headed by the Prime Minister, offers high-level strategic directions for innovation, promoting research and development (R&D) and entrepreneurship in multiple areas.

It has a mandate to prepare a roadmap for short, medium and long term for seeding and expanding research activities in academic institutions.

The government's research arm, according to Karandikar, aims to nurture and develop a home-grown ecosystem including innovative battery technologies, power electronics and charging infrastructure.

"So, we have launched the programme in all these three segments to propel indigenous manufacturing of electric vehicles and components which are now imported, and we are currently dependent upon supply chains from China and other countries," he said.

Recently, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said that India's EV market has a potential to touch Rs 20 lakh crore and is likely to create nearly 50 million jobs across the ecosystem by 2030. In 2024, India's EV market stood at $11.36 billion, according to Precedence Research.