New Delhi, Dec 2 (NationPress) The government has allocated Rs 1,634.62 crore in subsidies under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme as of November 23 this year, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma stated in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha that Rs 500 crore has been designated for e-ambulances under this scheme, with stakeholder consultations conducted to finalize guidelines for these vehicles.

The initiative has been extended until March 31, 2028 for e-ambulances and other segments, although for e2Ws and e-3Ws, the final date remains March 31, 2026, he noted.

Verma also mentioned that the PM E-DRIVE Scheme includes an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for developing public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. As of November 23 this year, no funds have been allocated for establishing this infrastructure. Two oil marketing firms have expressed interest and submitted proposals for setting up public charging infrastructure under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme.

He added that under this scheme, 1,500 e-buses have been designated for Mumbai, 2,800 e-buses for Delhi, and 1,000 e-buses for Pune in Maharashtra.

To promote accessibility and utilization, guidelines for electric vehicle charging infrastructure under the PM E-Drive Scheme have been released and shared with state governments and Union Territory administrations, he concluded.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) has issued operational guidelines allocating Rs 200 crore to provide subsidies of up to 100 percent for establishing public charging stations for electric vehicles in urban areas and along highways, as part of the Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE scheme.

Government facilities such as offices, hospitals, educational institutions, and Central public sector enterprises will receive a 100 percent subsidy on both the upstream infrastructure and EV charging equipment, provided that the chargers are accessible to the public free of charge, according to the guidelines.

For bus stations managed by state transport agencies, metro stations, municipal parking areas, public sector ports, and NHAI/state government-controlled toll plazas and roadside amenities on highways and expressways, the subsidy will cover 80 percent of the upstream infrastructure and 70 percent of the EV supply equipment costs.

Locations such as airports, railway stations, fuel retail outlets of state-run oil companies (like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum), metro stations, and bus depots will receive an 80 percent subsidy on infrastructure and 70 percent on charging equipment.

Battery swapping and charging stations are also included, receiving an 80 percent subsidy.

The scheme prioritizes urban areas with populations exceeding one million, smart cities, satellite towns linked to seven metropolitan cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad), state capitals, and heavily trafficked national and state highways. Public transport hubs such as railway stations, airports, and fuel retail outlets are also slated to receive infrastructure support.