PM E Drive scheme to bring 2,800 electric buses to Telangana: Ponnam

PM E Drive Scheme | Hyderabad, Jan 6 (Maxim News): The Telangana government will soon induct 2,800 new electric buses under the PM E Drive scheme, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar told the Assembly on Tuesday.

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Ponnam said 575 electric buses are already operating under PM E Drive. In addition, Warangal Municipal Corporation will receive 100 electric buses, while Nizamabad Municipal Corporation will get 50 buses through a central government scheme.

PM E Drive scheme expansion to boost EV transport

Replying during Question Hour, the minister said the state introduced a dedicated electric vehicle policy after coming to power. He stated that nearly one lakh electric vehicles were sold in Telangana during the last year.

According to the minister, manufacturers are working to improve EV battery capacity. At the same time, the government is expanding charging infrastructure across the state.

Charging points are being set up at government offices, educational institutions, and gated communities.

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Ponnam said meetings were held with EV manufacturers and dealers under the EV policy. Although tax concessions led to a revenue loss of about Rs 900 crore, the government remains committed to promoting electric vehicles.

PM E Drive scheme

The minister said companies were requested to offer a 20 percent discount to government employees purchasing EVs. He added that the government is considering a policy to ensure 25 to 50 percent of vehicles used by MNCs and schools are electric.

The government is also planning to procure 25 to 50 percent electric vehicles for official use. He said a scrappage policy was introduced to encourage removal of vehicles older than 15 years.

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To set an example, the minister urged MLAs to use electric vehicles in their constituencies. He added that measures are underway to reduce pollution in Hyderabad, including plans to retrofit petrol and diesel autos into electric vehicles, which were recently reviewed by the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

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