The Indian government has decided to operate 10,000 electric buses in 100 cities nationwide to tackle climate change.
Morning commute in New Delhi, India, shrouded in thick smog due to air pollution / Photo by Yonhap News
Indian media outlets, including The Times of India, reported on the 16th (local time) that this decision was made at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, held a press briefing that day and explained, "A total of 576.13 billion rupees (approximately 9.3 trillion won) will be invested in the electric bus project," adding, "Of this, the federal government will bear 200 billion rupees, and the remaining amount will be spent by the respective state governments."
The cities where electric vehicles will be deployed are planned to be selected through a bidding process. Only cities with a population of over 300,000 can participate in the bidding. He said, "Procurement and maintenance of (electric buses) will be carried out through a public-private partnership model," and "this project will continue until 2037."
At the cabinet meeting that day, plans to expand the 'Digital India' program were also approved. A budget of 149.03 billion rupees was allocated for this. Digital India is a campaign launched by Prime Minister Modi in July 2015 to enable citizens to access various government services online.
Additionally, a plan to invest 130 to 150 billion rupees to support the livelihoods of those engaged in traditional skilled occupations such as carpenters, masons, and goldsmiths was also approved. This project, which Prime Minister Modi mentioned in his Independence Day speech the day before, will start on the 17th of next month.
Carpenters, masons, and others are classified as 'Other Backward Classes' in Indian society. They belong to the lower strata similar to 'Scheduled Castes' (untouchables) and 'Scheduled Tribes.'
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