Cabinet approves revised cost estimate for NATRIP project

Government today approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 3,727.30 crore for the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP).
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 3,727.30 crore for NATRIP, an official statement said.
"This approval ensures completion of the projects under NATRIP which is an important initiative by the government for the establishment of the global test centres in India. This will address the R&D requirements of the automotive industry, full-fledged testing and homologation centres," it said.
The places are within the Northern auto-cluster at ICAT-Manesar, Haryana and Southern auto-cluster at GARC-Oragadam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and up-gradation of existing centers at ARAI- Pune and VRDE-Ahmednagar in Maharashtra for Western auto-cluster.

The NATRIP project is required to adopt global best practices to ensure road safety, environmental protection etc. in design, manufacture, testing and operation of motor vehicles in India since India is signatory to UN Regulation on Harmonisation of Vehicle Specifications under WP-29 of 1998.
It is also needed to support Automotive Mission Plan 2016-26 which sets the Indian automotive and component manufacturers for becoming globally competitive for export with aim to scale up exports to the extent of 35-40 per cent of its overall output over the next 10 years.
The project is required to make Indian vehicles comply with global standard of safety in line with UN Brasilia resolution to reduce the high number of causalities and road accidents (i.E. 1.46 and 5.01 lakhs, respectively in the year 2015) and to help MSMEs for development and certification of auto-components, both for OEMs and after sale parts.