Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, inaugurated the National Conference on "Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure under PM E-DRIVE Scheme" organized by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India, today in Bengaluru.

Addressing the event, the Hon’ble Minister stated that the Government of India is committed to building a modern and reliable electric vehicle (EV) charging ecosystem to support the country’s transition to clean mobility. The Minister announced the approval of ₹123.26 crore for proposals involving 1,243 EV chargers in Karnataka. He further noted that, to date, proposals worth ₹503.86 crore have been approved, which will facilitate the installation of 4,874 EV chargers through various states and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) such as HPCL, IOCL, and BPCL.

The PM E-DRIVE scheme provides comprehensive support for e-2 wheelers, e-3 wheelers, e-buses, e-ambulances, and e-trucks. To further promote EV adoption, Shri Kumaraswamy highlighted that the Ministry has implemented several key initiatives, including the PLI Auto scheme (₹25,938 crore), PLI ACC scheme (₹18,100 crore), the Payment Security Mechanism (₹3,435 crore), and the Rare Earth Magnets scheme (₹7,280 crore).

The PM E-DRIVE scheme has a total financial outlay of ₹10,900 crore, with ₹2,000 crore specifically earmarked for the development of public EV charging infrastructure across the country. Under this scheme, the government aims to provide incentives for approximately 24.79 lakh electric two-wheelers and 3.16 lakh electric three-wheelers. Additionally, the scheme is designed to provide substantial financial support amounting to ₹4,391 crore for the deployment of more than 14,028 electric buses.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, emphasized that seamless coordination between the Centre, State Governments, and industry stakeholders is essential for building an efficient and robust charging ecosystem. Senior officials from the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, and Odisha participated in the proceedings and shared the implementation strategies being adopted in their respective states.

 

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