Union Government decided to shift to BS-VI Emission norms directly from BS-IV in 2020

Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 7 January 2016 decided to implement the Bharat Stage (BS) VI norms from 1 April 2020 to curb vehicular pollution.

The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting was chaired by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

At present, BS-IV emission norms are in progress and they would be switched over to BS-VI emission norms by skipping BS-V emission norms altogether.

Currently, BS-IV petrol and diesel are being supplied in whole of Northern India covering Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and parts of Rajasthan and western UP. The rest of the country has BS-III grade fuel.

From 1 April, 2016, all of Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha, Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Dadra-Nagar-Haveli and Andaman & Nicobar will get BS-IV fuel. The rest of the country is scheduled to get supplies of BS-IV from 1 April, 2017.

 In BS-V, vehicles have to be fitted with a diesel particulate filter, which needs to be optimised for Indian road conditions. In stage VI, selective catalytic reduction technology has to be optimised. At each stage, the technology would have to be validated over 6 lakh to 7 lakh kilometers.

Effects of the Decision

On Petrol Cars

• About 25% reduction in Oxides of Nitrogen

On Diesel Cars

• About 43% reductions in combination of hydrocarbons and oxides of Nitrogen.

• About 68% reduction in Oxides of Nitrogen

• About 82% reduction in particulate matter

On Heavy Duty Vehicles

• About 71% reduction in of hydrocarbons

• About 87%  reduction in Oxides of Nitrogen

• About 67% reduction in particulate matter

Further, to meet cleaner BS (Euro)-IV/V fuel specifications by 2020, oil refineries will need to invest a huge amount of 80000 crore rupees in upgrading petrol and diesel quality. This mentioned amount is needed for BS-V norms, even though there is technologically not much difference between BS-V and VI.

It is in light of this huge investment required to transit to BS-VI norms, the automobile industry is resisting the move as it will increase the cost for them.

About Bharat Stage norms

Bharat Stage emission standards were introduced in 2000 in line with recommendations made by RA Mashelkar Committee. These are emission standards that have been set up the Union Government to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles.

The different norms are brought into force in accordance with the timeline and standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board which comes under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change.

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in its ‘The Auto Fuel Policy 2003’ had recommended implementing BS-VI norms by 2023 by compressing the technology development time by one year.

But as per the draft notification issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in December 2015, the dates for implementing BS-V norms was advanced to 2019 and BS-VI norms to 2021.

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