Housing & urban affairs ministry has received proposals from 5 states for buses. Scheme aims to provide financial support of Rs 20,000 cr for e-buses in cities with poor public transport.
Guidelines for PM-eBus Sewa scheme say cities or state govts will have to agree to guarantee timely payments to bus operators & set up power infrastructure to be eligible to participate.
Under the scheme — covering cities with population of 3 lakh & above — 10,000 buses will be deployed in PPP model. Centre will provide Rs 20,000 cr over 10 yrs, rest will be from states.
Driving an electric vehicle for months, the Hyundai IONIQ5, BMW iX and now the Kia Carens Clavis electric, has convinced me of the viability of EVs for city and mid-range commutes.
With the US-India trade deal yet to get done, rupee depreciation may be helping to mitigate India’s loss of competitiveness. The other problem is extreme despondence among overseas equity investors.
Of the total package, $649 million will be utilised for additional hardware, software, and support services, and the remaining for Major Defence Equipment (MDE).
Don’t blame misfortune. This is colossal incompetence and insensitivity. So bad, heads would have rolled even in the old PSU-era Indian Airlines and Air India.
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