Union Minister Kumaraswamy announces approval of proposals for EV charging

Bengaluru: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday announced approval of proposals pertaining to electric vehicle charging infrastructure totalling Rs 50,386 crore across various states, including Rs 1,232.6 crore for Karnataka.

The Minister said the Ministry of Heavy Industries, the portfolio he holds, has initiated several schemes to make India’s automotive sector competitive at the global level.

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“I am happy to announce approval of proposals for Karnataka involving 1,243 EV chargers with an outlay of Rs 1,232.6 crore. So far, EV charging proposals with a total financial outlay of Rs 50,386 crore have been approved, covering installation of 4,874 EV chargers across various states and CPSUs,” the Minister said after inaugurating a Conference on Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme in Bengaluru.

Kumaraswamy said the amount released in the first phase is Rs 2,000 crore.

He assured all help to the states, who are taking pro-active measure to set up EV vehicles and charging stations.

“In the second phase, whatever development proposals your state has shown today regarding EV vehicles and charging stations, I assure you from my department that we will support you fully and with confidence,” the Union Minister said.

According to him, the approved proposals include major CPSUs such as HPCL, IOCL, and BPCL, as well as states including Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

Kumaraswamy said the Ministry of Heavy Industries has initiated several schemes to make India’s automotive sector competitive at the global level.

Explaining in detail, the Minister said Production Linked Incentive for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage (PLI ACC scheme), with an outlay of Rs 18,100 crore, encourages manufacturing of battery cells.

The PLI Auto scheme, with an outlay of Rs 25,938 crore, promotes auto components and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) to make cleaner vehicles like EVs and hydrogen-based vehicles, Kumaraswamy said.

He was optimistic that the recently launched RE PM scheme, with an outlay of Rs 7,280 crore for manufacturing rare earth magnets, will make India self-reliant in this technology.

Noting that the automobile sector stands at a historic transition from conventional mobility to clean electric mobility, the Minister underlined that at the heart of this transformation lies the PM E-Drive scheme, with a total outlay of about Rs 10,800 crore to Rs 10,900 crore.

Kumaraswamy said Rs 2,000 crore has been specifically earmarked under PM E-Drive to support the deployment of EV charging stations across the country.

Highlighting that Bengaluru has emerged as one of India’s leading EV charging hubs, the Minister urged other states to actively participate and accelerate implementation, ensuring that this transformation reaches every corner of our nation.

The Minister said that under the FAME scheme, OMCs have installed 8,932 EV chargers with a total subsidy of Rs 8,735 crore disbursed by the Ministry. Of these, 721 EV chargers have been installed in Karnataka.

He said his Ministry is working on the National Unified EV Charging App—Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC), which he said would be a game changer, enabling EV users to discover, access, and pay across charging networks of every operator through a single trusted platform.

Just as UPI revolutionised digital payments, UBC is set to revolutionise EV charging in India.

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The Ministry of Heavy Industries, in close coordination with the Ministry of Power, state governments, and industry stakeholders, will ensure that grid readiness, standardisation, and digital integration keep pace with growing demand, Kumaraswamy said.

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