CESL to help set up EV charging, battery-swapping stations in Gram Panchayats

In a significant initiative to take India’s clean mobility revolution to the grass-roots level, the Government of India is set to empower Gram Panchayats across the country by enabling them to develop electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery-swapping infrastructure on Panchayat-owned land.

The initiative is aimed at creating sustainable sources of revenue for rural local bodies while contributing to climate action, reducing carbon emissions and strengthening the country’s transition towards cleaner mobility.

The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) under the Ministry of Power, have joined hands to explore the development of EV charging stations and battery-swapping facilities across Gram, Block and District Panchayats throughout the country.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to workout the framework for the collaboration was exchanged in New Delhi by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Mukta Shekhar, and CEO of CESL, Akhilesh Kumar Dixit, according to Advisor (Media) to EESL A.

Chandra Sekhara Reddy. The collaboration offers Gram Panchayats an opportunity to convert underutilised and unutilised public assets into productive economic resources. Revenue generated through the establishment and operation of EV charging and battery-swapping facilities could provide Panchayats with additional Own Source Revenue (OSR).

Appreciating the CESL’s contribution to the PM e-Bus Sewa initiative, which is supporting the deployment of electric buses in major cities, including Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Ms. Mukta Shekhar described the initiative as an important opportunity to transform the role of Gram Panchayats in the country’s clean mobility transition.

The proposed infrastructure would cater to a wide range of electric vehicles.