Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday asked banks to give loans at reduced interest rates to those seeking to buy vehicles that run on clean energy, including flex fuel, electricity and hydrogen.

Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of a cooperative bank in Kalyan, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said it was his dream that vehicles running on diesel and petrol get phased out in the next four to five years. He said banks must rate industries based on their performance on various parameters over the past five years and give those scoring high marks loans within 24 hours, adding credibility and goodwill would be the biggest capital in the 21st century.