CM Bhajanlal flags off 71 PM e-Buses across Rajasthan, transfers ₹154 cr to workers
Synopsis
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma flagged off 71 PM e-buses across six Rajasthan cities from Jaipur's OTS Ground on 19 August 2026, while simultaneously transferring over ₹154 crore via DBT to more than 1.32 lakh labour beneficiaries — combining urban mobility and worker welfare in a single high-visibility event.
Key Takeaways
71 PM e-buses launched across six cities : Jaipur, Bhilwara, Alwar, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, and Udaipur on 19 August 2026 .
24 buses flagged off physically from OTS Ground, Jaipur ; 47 buses flagged off virtually for the remaining cities.
Buses deployed under the Union Cabinet-approved PM e-Bus Sewa scheme (2023), which targets 10,000 electric buses across 169 Indian cities.
Over 1 lakh 32 thousand Rajasthan Labour Department beneficiaries and dependants received ₹154 crore+ via DBT at the same event.
Physical cheques were also distributed on stage alongside the digital transfer.
Event was branded under #आपणो_अग्रणी_राजस्थान , the BJP-led state government's governance campaign.
Seventy-one electric buses hit the roads of six Rajasthan cities on Wednesday, 19 August 2026 — and for over a lakh workers waiting on welfare payments, the same morning delivered a direct cash transfer worth more than ₹154 crore. The Chief Minister's Office of Rajasthan announced that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma flagged off the buses and authorised the transfers at a single combined event at OTS Ground, Jaipur.
24 buses from Jaipur, 47 more cities go electric simultaneously
Bhajanlal Sharma physically flagged off 24 PM e-buses covering Jaipur and Bhilwara from the OTS Ground. In the same ceremony, he virtually flagged off 47 additional buses for Alwar, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, and Udaipur — six cities going electric in a single morning. The buses run under the Union Cabinet-approved PM e-Bus Sewa scheme, cleared in August 2023, which targets up to 10,000 electric buses across 169 cities nationwide. Rajasthan's deployment spans its largest urban centres, plugging the state into one of India's most ambitious public-transport electrification drives.
₹154 crore reaches 1.32 lakh labour beneficiaries via DBT
Woven into the same event was a major welfare transfer: more than ₹154 crore disbursed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to over 1 lakh 32 thousand beneficiaries and their dependants enrolled under Rajasthan Labour Department schemes. Physical cheques were also distributed on stage — a deliberate visual pairing of digital efficiency with human delivery. The state has progressively shifted labour welfare payments to DBT since its post-2018 digitisation push, cutting leakage and compressing the time between sanction and receipt.
One stage, two mandates — the BJP's dual-event playbook
The format — urban infrastructure launch fused with mass welfare disbursement — is a signature of the BJP-led Rajasthan government since Sharma took office in December 2023. It lets a single high-visibility moment serve both middle-class commuters demanding modern public transport and working-class families dependent on state welfare. The hashtag #आपणो_अग्रणी_राजस्थान ('Our Leading Rajasthan') stamped on the post frames both actions under the same brand of governance momentum. With further phases of e-bus induction expected in remaining Rajasthan cities, today's six-city rollout is a chapter, not a conclusion.
Point of View
Two voter blocs. For the BJP in Rajasthan, bundling a visible urban infrastructure moment with a direct cash transfer to over a lakh workers maximises political reach across class lines. The PM e-Bus Sewa deployment also ties state delivery to a central scheme, letting Sharma claim both local execution and national alignment. Watch whether the pace of further e-bus phases holds; delays in subsequent rollouts could blunt the momentum this launch is designed to build.
NationPress
19 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PM e-Bus Sewa and how does it work in Rajasthan?
PM e-Bus Sewa is a Union Cabinet-approved scheme from 2023 that funds up to 10,000 electric buses across 169 Indian cities. In Rajasthan, the state government deploys these buses in major urban centres, with the central government providing financial support for procurement and operations.
How many electric buses were launched in Rajasthan on 19 August 2026?
A total of 71 PM e-buses were launched — 24 for Jaipur and Bhilwara flagged off physically, and 47 for Alwar, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, and Udaipur flagged off virtually by CM Bhajanlal Sharma.
How much money was transferred to Rajasthan labour beneficiaries at the event?
Over ₹154 crore was transferred via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to more than 1 lakh 32 thousand beneficiaries and their dependants enrolled under Rajasthan Labour Department welfare schemes.
Where was the Rajasthan e-bus flagging-off event held?
The event was held at OTS Ground in Jaipur, where Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma was physically present to flag off the Jaipur and Bhilwara buses.
Which cities in Rajasthan got PM e-buses in this rollout?
Six cities received PM e-buses: Jaipur, Bhilwara, Alwar, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Kota, and Udaipur — covering the state's major urban centres.
