Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Odisha is gearing up for a major boost in electric mobility, with the state government proposing 290 new public electric vehicle charging stations under the Centre's PM E-DRIVE scheme.

The proposal, announced by the State Transport Authority on November 3, aims to strengthen EV charging infrastructure across 13 major cities and important national and state highway corridors.

Under the direction of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, the second-phase proposal covers Rourkela, Talcher, Sambalpur, Paradeep, Badabil, Balpahad, Brahmapur, Brajrajnagar, Chhatrapur, Jharsuguda, Joda, Keonjhar and Rajgangpur.

The plan also includes 68 Wayside Amenity Centres managed by the Tourism Department, along with six priority locations on the Paradeep-Badabil industrial corridor and other key routes.

This comes after the Centre approved 170 EV charging stations across seven major cities in Odisha under the first phase. The implementation work is already underway, with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, or BHEL, appointed as the Project Implementation Agency.

Before the final approval of the second-phase proposal, a BHEL team led by General Manager J K Pattanaik will conduct detailed site surveys to assess the feasibility and suitability of the proposed locations.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government is also independently working to establish more than 500 additional EV charging stations across the state. Of these, 24 charging stations are already operational in Bhubaneswar.

More charging facilities are planned at Atal Bus Stands, truck terminals and other strategic locations.

The expansion is expected to address range anxiety among EV users, improve connectivity, support tourism and facilitate industrial transportation.

The state's Electric Vehicle Policy is also encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles through financial incentives, purchase subsidies and exemptions on road tax and registration fees.

With 290 proposed stations under the latest phase, 170 stations approved in the first phase and more than 500 additional stations planned through state initiatives, Odisha is stepping up its efforts to build a comprehensive electric vehicle charging network.

The initiative is expected to strengthen clean transportation, promote sustainable development and accelerate Odisha's transition towards a greener future.