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The Centre has unveiled operational guidelines for the rollout of nearly 72,300 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country, with an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore under the Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE scheme.According to the Ministry of Heavy Industries, the framework provides a tiered subsidy structure to accelerate the installation of charging infrastructure at government premises, highways, public transport hubs, and commercial complexes, PTI reported. As per the guidelines, government offices, residential colonies, hospitals, and educational institutions will be eligible for 100 per cent subsidy on upstream infrastructure and EV charging equipment, provided they ensure free public access.For high-traffic public locations such as railway stations, airports managed by the Airports Authority of India, bus terminals, metro stations, municipal parking lots, public sector ports, retail outlets of state-run oil companies, and toll plazas operated by NHAI or state governments, the subsidy will cover 80 per cent of upstream infrastructure costs and 70 per cent of charging equipment costs.Shopping malls, markets, and roadside facilities along highways and expressways will also qualify for an 80 per cent subsidy on upstream infrastructure. Similarly, battery swapping or charging stations set up at any location will be eligible for 80 per cent support on upstream costs.The ministry said eligible government agencies will appoint nodal bodies to aggregate demand, identify high-priority sites, and submit consolidated proposals through a dedicated portal. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has been designated as the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) to oversee deployment.The subsidy will be disbursed in two tranches, linked to compliance and performance benchmarks. The scheme prioritises cities with populations above one million, state capitals, smart cities, metro-linked satellite towns, and high-density transport corridors. Public transport hubs including railway stations, airports, and fuel retail outlets are also earmarked for support.
