Complaints were made against 12 electric vehicle and parts manufacturers, including Hero Electric Vehicles and Okinawa Autotech, for violating guidelines under said programme, Mahendra Nath Pandey, the minister for heavy industries, said.

Other companies include Benling India Energy and Technology, Okaya Ev, Jitendra New Ev Tech, Greaves Electric Mobility, Revolt Intellicorp, Kinetic Green Energy & Power Solutions, Avon Cycles, Lohia Auto Industries, Thukral Electric Bikes, and Victory Electric Vehicles International.

None of the companies responded immediately to a Reuters request for comment.

Pandey said all complaints were being re-verified by agencies, while two EV makers have been suspended from taking incentives under the scheme after an examination of the complaints.

He did not name the two companies.

India wants to grow its electric car market from 1% of total car sales, of about 3 million a year, to 30% by 2030.

To achieve that, the government is reimbursing EV and hybrid vehicle makers for reducing the purchase price of their vehicles under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (Fame) programme.

Pandey told parliament that the sale of electric vehicles under the programme has increased from 19,100 in 2019-20, when the scheme started, to 442,901 in 2022-23 up to Dec 9, 2022.