MP Arora: Ludhiana eligible for “PM-eBus Sewa Scheme”

Ludhiana is among four cities of Punjab which are eligible for participation under “PM-eBus Sewa Scheme” with the aim to augment bus operations by deployment of electric buses on PPP model, said MP (Rajya Sabha) Sanjeev Arora who has taken up the issue of Augmentation of City Bus Service Scheme in the ongoing winter session of Rajya Sabha.

    He had asked about the update on the current status of augmentation of City Bus Service Scheme and the details of the amount spent in the last two years in States and UTs across the country. He also asked whether the government is planning to roll out only electric buses or both diesel and electric buses under this scheme, considering India’s net zero target; and the details of Tier II & III cities proposed to be covered under the said scheme in the State of Punjab.

      Answering to Arora’s question the Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore stated that the Government of India has launched “PM-eBus Sewa Scheme” on August 16, 2023 with the aim to augment bus operations by deployment of electric buses on PPP model and development of associated infrastructure in urban areas with central assistance of Rs.20,000 crore.

      The Minister further mentioned in his reply that 169 cities falling in the range of 3 lakh to 40 lakh population size, as per census 2011, including 4 cities namely Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Patiala of Punjab are eligible to participate in this Scheme.

    Further, the Minister stated that the process for implementation of the scheme has been initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and 3850 e-buses have been sanctioned for deployment of electric buses in 51 cities.

    The Minister also mentioned that during the last two years, no fund has been disbursed to any city under the scheme.