Centre, CESL Partner to Develop EV Charging at Gram Panchayats | Hyderabad News

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.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.A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the framework for this collaboration was exchanged recently in New Delhi on this. “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.The collaboration provides gram panchayats an opportunity to convert underutilised public assets into productive economic resources. 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.Appreciating CESL’s contribution to the prestigious PM e-Bus Sewa initiative, which is supporting the deployment of electric buses in major cities, including Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Mukta Shekhar observed that the new partnership could have far-reaching implications for India’s economic, environmental and strategic priorities. She described the initiative as an important opportunity to transform the role of gram panchayats in the country’s clean mobility transition.Officials said the proposed infrastructure will cater to a wide range of electric vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. This is expected to strengthen the enabling ecosystem for EV adoption in rural and semi-urban areas, while improving connectivity and accessibility for electric vehicle users travelling across the country.ends/