It’s no secret that Britain is currently facing an unprecedented battle against dangerous levels of air pollution. Precisely why lawmakers are working frantically to drive (no pun intended) the most polluting cars and vehicles in general off public roads once and for all. The extent to which this is likely to happen remains a mystery, but it’s likely we will be seeing big changes over the coming years.

Though perhaps not quite as big as the changes set to roll out in India in the near future. In order to tackle what are some of the worst air pollution problems on the face of the earth, India is about to implement a policy whereby vehicles more than 15 years old will be scrapped.

“We have almost finalised the scrapping policy for vehicles with NITI Aayog,” the road and transport minister said.

Without providing a great many more details on the specifics of the scheme, the minister simply said that vehicles upon completion of 15 years’ service would be eligible for scrapping. Along with combating potentially deadly levels of air pollution in the country’s worst polluted cities, the government has cited the requirement for recycled auto parts as additional motivation and justification for the scheme.

“Raw material for vehicles will be cheap … plastic, rubber, aluminium and copper – all generated from scrap will be used for auto parts generation besides other things,” the minister said.

Research would seem to suggest that approximately 65% of air pollution in India is caused by vehicles that are more than 15 years old. As is the case in other countries where similar scrapping schemes have been proposed or introduced, those who take part will be offered some kind of incentive in the form of a contribution to a new a car.

On the whole, the government is expecting to remove a whopping 28 million cars and vehicles from public roads across India over the coming years.

Unsurprisingly, the scheme has its fair share of advocates and critics alike. Supporters of the programme have applauded the government for resorting to relatively extreme though necessary measures to protect the health and wellbeing of the public in general. On the other side of the fence, critics have argued that the move will simply drive millions of every day motorists entirely out of the market, who even with the proposed incentives will not be able to afford to upgrade to a newer car.

In essence, exactly the same arguments that have been voiced in other countries worldwide.

Still, it’s becoming clearer by the day that governments on a global basis are no longer willing to turn a blind eye to the presence of dangerously polluting vehicles on public roads. Irrespective of how many struggle to cope with the new measures, reducing air pollution levels for the sake of public health has to be the number one priority for proactive lawmakers.

If looking to scrap your old car in the most responsible and rewarding way possible, get in touch with a member of the Take My Scrap Car customer service team today to arrange a collection.