Bengaluru, May 12 (IANS) In a significant development for Karnataka, Union Minister for Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday announced the approval of proposals involving the installation of 1,243 EV chargers in the State with a financial outlay of Rs 123.26 crore under the PM E-DRIVE scheme.
Addressing a conference on Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, Kumaraswamy said that Bengaluru has emerged as one of India’s leading EV charging hubs and urged other States to actively participate in accelerating the nationwide transition towards clean mobility.
The Minister stated that proposals worth Rs 503.86 crore have so far been approved for the installation of 4,874 EV chargers across various States and Central Public Sector Enterprises. The approved proposals include those of public sector oil companies– HPCL, IOCL and BPCL, along with States including Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Kumaraswamy said India is steadily advancing towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 while remaining firmly committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070. He noted that the Prime Minister’s emphasis on sustainability, innovation and scale has fundamentally transformed India’s approach towards mobility and energy.
The Minister highlighted that India’s automotive sector contributes over 7 per cent to the country’s GDP, accounts for nearly half of manufacturing GDP, and supports close to 30 million livelihoods, making it central to India’s clean mobility transition.
The Union Minister also acknowledged the contribution of the public sector oil marketing companies, including BPCL, IOCL and HPCL, in scaling charging infrastructure nationwide. Under the FAME-II scheme, the oil companies have installed 8,932 EV chargers across the country with subsidy support of Rs 873.5 crore from the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Of these, 721 chargers have been installed in Karnataka alone.
Kumaraswamy further appreciated the role played by Charge Point Operators and industry players such as Tata Power, ChargeZone and Mahindra & Mahindra in strengthening India’s EV ecosystem through innovation and execution capabilities.
Highlighting the Ministry’s next major initiative, the Union Minister said work is underway on the National Unified EV Charging App – Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC). The platform aims to enable EV users to discover, access and pay across charging networks of multiple operators through a single trusted interface.
Comparing its potential impact to UPI’s transformation of digital payments, he said the initiative would significantly strengthen India’s EV charging ecosystem.
He also underlined several major initiatives launched by the Ministry of Heavy Industries to strengthen India’s position as a global hub for future mobility technologies. These include the Rs 18,100 crore PLI ACC Scheme for battery cell manufacturing, the Rs 25,938 crore PLI Auto Scheme promoting cleaner vehicles, including EVs and hydrogen-powered vehicles, and the recently launched Rs 7,280 crore REPM Scheme aimed at achieving self-reliance in rare earth magnet manufacturing.
Describing the PM E-DRIVE Scheme as the cornerstone of India’s EV transformation, Kumaraswamy said the Rs 10,900 crore initiative is accelerating the adoption of electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, buses and trucks while simultaneously creating a robust nationwide EV charging infrastructure.
He added that Rs 2,000 crore has specifically been earmarked for EV Public Charging Infrastructure deployment across the country.
Kumaraswamy stated that the Ministry of Heavy Industries, in coordination with the Ministry of Power, State Governments and industry stakeholders, is working to ensure grid readiness, standardisation and digital integration to support the rapid growth of electric mobility in the country.
–IANS
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