Karnataka seeks electric bus under PM electronic driving; Union Minister Kumaraswamy ensures support

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The Karnataka government has formally requested the allocation of electric buses under the PM E-Drive initiative, a centralized sponsorship program designed to promote clean and sustainable urban transport.

Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Heavy Industry on the grounds that it increased public transport demand in major cities across the state.

A statement from the union heavy industry and steel Kumaraswamy said he has guaranteed the center is fully supported. After internal discussions within the ministry, he said: “Karnataka will definitely get buses under PM electronic driving.” He confirmed that the allocation process is already in progress and that buses will be provided in a phased manner according to priority.

The PM Electronic Driving Program aims to deploy 14,028 electric buses in nine major Indian cities. The budget expenditure for the project is Rs 109,000 crore and is planned to be implemented between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2026.

“Under the PM electronic drive program, 14,000 electric buses should be allocated to nine major cities. Discussions between the union and the state government also cover relevant infrastructure, including charging stations, bus warehouses and vehicle maintenance systems. Officials from both sides explored implementations to ensure that cross-cognitive urban clusters are rapidly rolled out across identified urban clusters,” the statement said.