The Odisha government has submitted a proposal to the Centre for setting up 290 additional public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in 13 cities across the state under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, officials said on Wednesday.

The proposal has been submitted under the direction of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena as part of the state's efforts to strengthen EV infrastructure, they said.

In the first phase of the scheme, the Centre has approved the setting up of 170 EV charging stations in seven major cities, and work on the project is currently underway, an official statement said.

In the second phase, the state has proposed setting up 290 additional public charging stations in Rourkela, Talcher, Sambalpur, Paradip, Barbil, Balpahad, Berhampur, Brajarajnagar, Chhatrapur, Jharsuguda, Joda, Keonjhar and Rajgangpur, besides locations along various national and state highways.

Of the proposed locations, 68 are at Wayside Amenity Centres under the tourism department, while six others are situated along different highways, including the Paradip-Badabil corridor, the statement said.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has been appointed as the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for executing the central scheme, it said.

Before the final approval and sanction of the proposed charging stations, a team led by BHEL General Manager J K Pattanaik will conduct site surveys to assess the feasibility and suitability of the identified locations, an official said.

Apart from the central scheme, the Odisha government is also setting up more than 500 additional EV charging stations through its own initiatives. Of these, 24 have already become operational in Bhubaneswar, the official said.

The state government is also installing charging facilities at important locations, including Atal Bus Stands and truck terminals, to improve accessibility for EV users.

Once implemented, the proposed project is expected to improve access to charging facilities, reduce range anxiety among electric vehicle users and strengthen the EV ecosystem in the state, officials said.

Under its Electric Vehicle Policy, the state government is also providing financial subsidies to EV buyers to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles.