New Delhi, 1 Feb

The government will expand the electric vehicle ecosystem to support charging infra, and e-buses for public transport networks will be encouraged, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday.

Sitharaman, in her pre-election Budget, which is technically a vote on account and popularly termed an interim Budget, also said the blending of compressed biogas into compressed natural gas for transport and piped natural gas will be mandatory.

Biomanufacturing and bio foundry scheme will be launched to provide environment-friendly alternatives for bio-degradable production, she added.

Sitharaman said India's economic strength has made the country an attractive destination for business and conference tourism.

She said tourism has tremendous opportunities and promised that the government will take up the development of iconic tourist centres to attract foreign tourists.