NITI Aayog plans draft policy for setting up EV charging infra at railway stations
The NITI Aayog has announced that it has prepared a draft policy for the Indian Railways to set up electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure at railway stations across the country, in a bid to promote the use of such vehicles.
The draft policy, which has been shared with the Ministry of Railways, also proposes the supply of renewable energy to the charging facilities in line with Indian Railways' aim to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030.
The policy is under discussion with the Ministry of Railways, said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog. The apex public policy think tank has suggested that while the railways can plan to put in place EV charging facilities at all stations in a phased manner till 2030, the facility can be immediately provided at 123 redeveloped railway stations.
"Railway stations are landmark locations, and they play a unique role in the entire transport sector, which make them strategic locations for providing public charging solutions for EVs," Kant stated.
NITI Aayog officials have recently discussed the draft policy with the railway ministry officials. Rajeev Jain, Additional Director General, PR, Railway Ministry, said, "We have very recently received the communication. We are working on it."
Under the Centre's FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV) scheme, the push is towards the adoption of EVs, particularly in public and shared transportation, in a big way in the country. The aim is to support nearly 7,000 e-buses, 500,000 electric three-wheelers, 55,000 electric four-wheeler passenger cars, and one million electric two-wheelers through subsidy, said a NITI Aayog official.
For this, providing a good and accessible EV charging infrastructure network is critical. While the Centre has taken several initiatives to scale up EV charging facilities, NITI officials said, railway stations can provide a secure and accessible charging infrastructure to city residents.
