Anant Geete, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has announced that the government will be allocating Rs 437 crore in subsidy to 11 cities for launching a fleet of electric vehicles. This initiative is being carried under FAME India, and the electric vehicle fleet will consist of electric buses, electric taxis, and electric three-wheelers.
The 11 cities include Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Indore, and Kolkata, along with Jammu and Guwahati under a special category. The former 9 cities will get the subsidy for a fleet of 40 electric buses, while the latter two will get 15. Based on special demand, Ahmedabad will get 20 electric taxis while Bengaluru, Indore, and Kolkata will get 100, 50, and 200 electric taxis respectively. Bengaluru, Indore, and Ahmedabad will also get a subsidy for electric three-wheelers. Holistically, the electric fleet will include 390 buses, 370 taxis, and 720 three-wheelers.
With an aim to decrease its global carbon footprint, the government of India is taking timely interventions in the public transport scenario. Previously, the Andhra Pradesh government announced a Rs 30,000 crore investment in the electric vehicle industry.