New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said India must accelerate the adoption of alternative fuels and biofuels to reduce air pollution and cut dependence on imported fossil fuels, as he launched Maruti Suzuki's first flex-fuel car in India at the 'India Goes Flex' event.

Speaking at the launch, Gadkari said the transition towards cleaner fuels is essential for both environmental protection and India's goal of becoming self-reliant in energy.

'Air pollution is causing serious health problems for us, and therefore protecting ecology and the environment must be our highest priority,' Gadkari said during his address at the event.

Highlighting the role of the transport sector in pollution, the minister said, 'Nearly 40 per cent of air pollution is linked to the transport sector, which falls under our ministry's responsibility. This is a matter of great concern for me. Therefore, our target is to reduce air pollution.'

Calling the launch an important step in that direction, Gadkari said, 'Today marks an important step towards reducing pollution.'

From an economic standpoint, the minister stressed the need to reduce India's dependence on imported fossil fuels.

'India spends around Rs 22-23 lakh crore on importing fossil fuels. Our Prime Minister has spoken about building an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). If we want to achieve that goal, we must reduce imports and increase exports,' he said.

Gadkari said alternative fuels and biofuels would play a crucial role in achieving that objective.

'If we want to reduce imports, we need to work extensively on alternative fuels and biofuels,' he said.

The minister also highlighted the growing importance of India's automobile industry, describing it as a key contributor to economic growth and employment generation.

'This industry is not only a global industry but also a key driver of India's economic growth. When our government came to power, the size of this industry was around Rs 12 lakh crore. Today, it has grown to about Rs 23 lakh crore,' Gadkari said.

He noted that India has emerged as the world's third-largest automobile industry.

'We were ranked seventh in the world. Subsequently, we overtook Japan and moved up in the rankings, and now we are in the third position. Today, we are the world's third automobile industry,' he said.

Gadkari further said the automobile sector has made a significant contribution to employment and government revenues.

'This industry has provided employment to 4.5 crore young people. This is also the industry that contributes the highest revenue to both the state governments and the Government of India through GST. Therefore, our growth is closely linked with the growth of this industry,' the minister added.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri also attended the event. (ANI)