Karnataka will purchase 640 electric vehicles under the Central government's FAME India subsidised scheme, an official said on Monday.
"We have received approval from the Department of Heavy Industries to purchase the electric vehicles under the National Electricity Mobility Mission of the Central government's Fame India scheme," the statement said here.
Of the electric vehicles, 40 will be buses, 100 cars and 500 three-wheelers.
"The Department is giving subsidy up to 60 per cent under the scheme with funds to set up infrastructure to charge the vehicles across Bengaluru," noted the statement.
The state-run transport corporation will operate the eco-friendly vehicles for the commuting public and protect the city's environment and save fossil fuel.
The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) was launched in 2015 to promote eco-friendly vehicles across the country by providing fiscal and monetary incentives for adoption and market creation of both hybrid and electric technologies vehicles.
The scheme incentivises all vehicle segments, including two-wheeler, three- wheeler auto, four-wheeler vehicles, light commercial vehicles and buses.
The scheme also covers hybrid and electric technologies like a strong hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.
Its mandate is to support hybrid or electric vehicles market development and its manufacturing eco-system to achieve self-sustenance in a specified period.
Under FAME, the central government has also selected 11 cities including Bengaluru and Hyderabad to promote electric vehicles in public transport system under the e-mobility project. This is part of its larger target of a fully electric fleet for public transport, including buses, taxis and autorickshaws in these cities.
Other cities selected are Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore, Kolkata, Jammu and Guwahati.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise will provide financial incentives to states for purchase of electric buses, three- and four-wheelers, and for setting up charging infrastructure for public transport. Nearly Rs 437 crore has been set aside to be spent under FAME India, including Rs 40 crore for installing charging stations and infrastructure.
With IANS inputs