Hyderabad: In a bid to empower and make gram panchayats as self-sufficient and support India’s clean mobility revolution to the grassroots, the Centre decided to give an opportunity to the gram panchayats across the country to develop electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery-swapping infrastructure on panchayat-owned land. The initiative is aimed at creating sources of revenue for rural local bodies while contributing to climate action, reducing carbon emissions and strengthening India’s transition towards cleaner mobility.
“By leveraging panchayat-owned land, including locations along state and National Highways and premises near gram panchayat offices, the initiative seeks to create a geographically widespread network of clean mobility infrastructure,” a press release said. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the framework for this collaboration was exchanged recently in New Delhi on this. Revenue generated through the establishment and operation of EV charging and battery-swapping facilities can provide panchayats with additional Own Source Revenue (OSR), enabling them to support local development activities and strengthen rural infrastructure.
The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) under the Ministry of Power, have joined hands to explore the development of EV charging stations and battery-swapping facilities across gram panchayats, blocks and district panchayats in states throughout the country.