Cabinet approves 'PM e-Bus Sewa' scheme

The PM-eBus Sewa has been approved by the Union Cabinet, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to improve city bus operations. Priority has been given to cities with no organized bus service. At a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that 10,000 e-Buses would be deployed in 169 cities. It is predicted that the program will create 45,000–55,000 direct jobs. The scheme will cost an estimated Rs 57,613 crore, of which the central government will contribute Rs 20,000 crore and state governments the remaining Rs 57,000 crore. Buses will be purchased through a public-private partnership (PPP). There will be open bidding and participation from private parties. The program will operate until 2037, according to Thakur. Additionally, the Cabinet approved a plan to significantly improve railway infrastructure by approving seven Ministry of Railways projects with a combined projected cost of almost Rs 32,500 crore. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, these projects will increase the length of the Indian Railways' current network by 2,339 km. 35 districts in nine states—UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Telangana—will be covered by these new railway projects.