PM eBus Sewa to Boost Bus Ops in Cities

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday endorsed the 'PM-eBus Sewa' initiative, designed to enhance city bus operations. The plan will be prioritised in cities that lack a structured bus service. The 'PM-eBus Sewa' project is anticipated to cost approximately Rs 57,613 crore, with the Centre contributing Rs 20,000 crore. Simultaneously, the Cabinet sanctioned seven multi-tracking projects affiliated with Indian Railways.

Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur disclosed that the decision was ratified by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 'PM-eBus Sewa,' will lead to introduction of 10,000 e-buses using the PPP (public-private partnership) model.

The Centre’s backing will sustain bus operations for 10 years.

"In a total of 169 cities, 10,000 e-buses will be integrated under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Furthermore, infrastructure enhancements will take place in 181 cities as part of the Green Urban Mobility Initiatives," Thakur said.

It will incorporate cities with populations exceeding three lakh, as per the 2011 Census. This encompasses all the Union Territories' capital cities, North Eastern Regions, and hill states. Nearly 45,000 to 55,000 direct job opportunities are expected to be created from the project.

Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw affirmed that the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) also granted its approval to seven multi-tracking projects by Indian Railways, which are projected to cost around Rs 32,500 crore. These ventures are designed to boost the existing line capacity, streamline train operations, alleviate congestion, and enhance overall travel and transportation convenience.

The railway projects, spanning 35 districts across nine states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal — are poised to augment the Indian Railways network by 2,339 km. This expansion is anticipated to generate an estimated 7.06 crore man-days of employment in these states.

The routes play a crucial role in transporting foodgrains, fertilisers, coal, cement, fly-ash, iron and finished steel, clinkers, crude oil, lime stone and edible oil.

"The augmentation of capacity will result in an additional freight traffic volume of 200 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum). Railways, as an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient mode of transportation, will contribute to both achieving climate targets and reducing the nation's logistics costs," the government stated.