The Indian government has released an amount of Rs. 212.31 crore for the procurement of electric buses as of January 31, 2021. According to a report from PTI, this amount was approved by the centre under the second phase of FAME-II scheme, which was informed to the Parliament. The FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric) India scheme was introduced by the government in 2015 to promote electric vehicles in the country. The FAME scheme also focused on establishing a necessary charging infrastructure for electric mobility.
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Prakash Javadekar, Minister, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises said that the department of Heavy Industry had invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from million-plus cities, smart cities, state / UT capitals as well as cities from special category states for submission of proposal for deployment of e-buses on an operational cost basis.
About 5,565 electric buses have been sanctioned to 65 cities/state transport corporation for intra-city operation
The centre reportedly had received 86 proposals from 26 states/UTs for the deployment of around 15,000 e-buses. He said, "About Rs. 212.31 crore has been released for procurement of e-buses under Phase-II of FAME-India Scheme as on 31.01.2021."
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He further mentioned that 5,565 electric buses have been approved by the project implementation and sanctioning committee for 65 cities/state transport corporation for intra-city operation. About 600 electric buses will be utilised for intercity operation, while 100 e-buses will be used for last-mile connectivity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
