Hyderabad: In a bid to empower and make gram panchayats self-sufficient and support India’s clean mobility revolution at the grassroots, the Centre has decided 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 reducing carbon emissions.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. The collaboration provides gram panchayats with 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.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.
