Bengaluru: Union Heavy Industries and Steel Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is accelerating India’s transition towards clean and self-reliant electric mobility.
Addressing the national conference on enabling EV charging infrastructure under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy announced approval for installation of 1,243 EV chargers in Karnataka with a financial outlay of ₹123.26 crore.
He said Bengaluru has emerged as one of India’s leading EV charging hubs and urged other states to actively participate in expanding the country’s clean mobility ecosystem.
The minister stated that proposals worth ₹503.86 crore have so far been approved for installation of 4,874 EV chargers across several states and Central Public Sector Enterprises. The approved projects include companies such as HPCL, IOCL and BPCL, along with Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Kumaraswamy said India is moving steadily towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 while remaining committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070. He added that the Prime Minister’s focus on sustainability and innovation has transformed India’s mobility and energy sectors.
Highlighting government initiatives, the minister referred to the ₹18,100 crore PLI ACC Scheme for battery manufacturing, the ₹25,938 crore PLI Auto Scheme for cleaner vehicles and the ₹7,280 crore REPM Scheme for rare earth magnet manufacturing.
He described the PM E-DRIVE Scheme as a major step in India’s EV transformation and noted that ₹2,000 crore has been earmarked specifically for EV public charging infrastructure.
The minister also appreciated companies such as Tata Power, ChargeZone and Mahindra & Mahindra for strengthening the EV ecosystem.
Kumaraswamy further announced that the Centre is working on a National Unified EV Charging App called “Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC)” to allow EV users to access multiple charging networks through a single platform.
“Together, we are not merely installing charging stations, we are powering the future of India,” he said.
