The Ministry of Heavy Industries organized a national conference in Bengaluru on May 12, 2026, to discuss the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. During the event, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy announced the approval of proposals worth Rs 503.86 crore for installing 4,874 electric vehicle chargers nationwide under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. This includes a specific allocation of Rs 123.26 crore for 1,243 chargers in Karnataka.
The approved charging infrastructure will be deployed across several states including Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Central public sector enterprises such as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited are among the key implementing agencies for these projects. Ministry officials noted that the charging network will support electric two wheelers, three wheelers, cars, buses, and trucks.
The charging infrastructure expansion is part of the broader PM E-DRIVE initiative which commands a total financial outlay of Rs 10,900 crore. The scheme allocates Rs 2,000 crore specifically for public charging infrastructure. It also provisions Rs 3,679 crore towards demand incentives to support the adoption of 24.79 lakh electric two wheelers and 3.16 lakh electric three wheelers. Additionally, Rs 4,391 crore has been earmarked for the deployment of 14,028 electric buses across the country.
The government has also allocated Rs 780 crore for the modernization of vehicle testing agencies under the heavy industries ministry. The Bengaluru conference was attended by senior government officials from various states and representatives from original equipment manufacturers and charge point operators to coordinate standardisation and deployment strategies for the growing electric mobility ecosystem.