PARIVARTAN Scheme: Retiring Delhi-NCR’s Polluting Vehicles

Delhi-NCR has over 200,000 old, polluting trucks and buses on its roads. A new scheme now pays their owners to retire them.

PARIVARTAN

MoHUA’s Delhi-NCR scheme to retire old, polluting trucks and buses; full name in the title above.

MoRTH

The ministry that implements PARIVARTAN, funded through the NCR Planning Board.

CAQM

A separate body; it enforces Delhi-NCR’s wider air-pollution rules.

What PARIVARTAN Is

• PARIVARTAN is a programme to renew and incentivise vehicle assets. Its goal is cutting transport-linked air pollution.
• The Union Cabinet approved it on 3 June 2026. MoHUA cleared its detailed guidelines on 16 July 2026.
• It targets old, polluting trucks and buses across Delhi-NCR.
• This matters because old commercial vehicles are a big source of the region’s air pollution.

Scope and Outlay

• About 2.07 lakh owners are eligible under the scheme. That includes 1.91 lakh truck operators, and 16,329 bus owners.
• The scheme carries a total outlay of ₹9,585 crore. Of that, ₹5,041 crore comes from the Centre.
• It’s funded through the NCR Planning Board, and implemented by MoRTH.
• This funding pays owners directly, to scrap old vehicles and buy cleaner ones.

The Incentive Package

• Owners get a 5% interest saving on new vehicle loans. This discount runs for five years.
• They also get road tax and registration fee waivers.
• Vehicle makers give a minimum 8% discount on new eligible vehicles.
• Diesel and CNG buyers get fuel vouchers. EV buyers get extra support on top of that.
• These incentives together lower the real cost of switching to a cleaner vehicle.

Which Vehicles Must Go

• BS-III and older vehicles must be scrapped under the scheme.
• BS-IV vehicles can be replaced too. They qualify for a cleaner BS-VI or electric replacement.
• Government-owned vehicles are not eligible for this scheme.
• Eligible owners span four states: Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. All four issued a 10-year motor vehicle tax concession under the scheme.
• The scheme runs on a digital portal. That portal links to VAHAN, scrapping records, and payment systems.
• Nine vehicle makers, holding over 95% of the truck and bus market, have signed on.
• This broad state and industry support is what makes the scheme workable in practice.

PARIVARTAN vs the National Scrappage Policy

• Don’t confuse PARIVARTAN with India’s own national Vehicle Scrappage Policy. The two work at different levels.
• The national policy is voluntary. It applies across the whole country, built around Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities.
• PARIVARTAN is different. It’s specific to the NCR, and it makes scrapping BS-III and older vehicles mandatory, not voluntary.
• PARIVARTAN also funds any cleaner replacement, BS-VI or electric, not electric vehicles alone.
• CAQM is a separate body again. It enforces Delhi-NCR’s wider air-pollution rules. Its scope goes beyond just old commercial vehicles.
• PARIVARTAN is best understood as a targeted fix, for one specific pollution source.

PARIVARTAN Gains Momentum

• By August 2026, over 1,300 beneficiaries had registered under the scheme. 42 banks and 15 auto makers had come onboard. (Source: PIB)
• The scheme is replacing over 2 lakh BS-IV or older trucks and buses with cleaner vehicles. (Source: PIB)
• These early registrations show the scheme is turning policy into real vehicle replacements, not just paperwork. (Source: PIB)