Odisha upgrades EV portal for subsidy disbursement, to accept applications from Dec 25

In a bid to move towards hassle free disbursement of incentives on electric vehicles (EVs) that have been announced under the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy-2021, the State Transport Authority (STA) has upgraded the EV portal with new features.

The new portal with auto disburse model will be implemented from December 25, 2022, informed the STA.

The entire process will be automated with least human interface. Application entry for public on current portal will remain closed from December 14 to December 24 for upgradation of the EV portal.

Releasing a press statement, the department said, “The aim of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) is to transfer the benefits and subsidies directly in the bank account of the beneficiary on time by bringing efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and also to eliminate the intermediary body.”

As per the new guidelines, the owners of the electric vehicle can avail the subsidy amount by logging on to odishatransport.gov.in->online services->apply subsidy for electric vehicles after December. The vehicle information will be automatically collected from Vahan Portal. The owners will be asked to give their bank details, and the information regarding disbursement of subsidy to bank account will be intimated through SMS to the registered mobile number.

Making a statement, the Joint Commissioner Transport, Technical, Dipti Ranjan Patra, said, “This new portal will be made further robust by linking it with fund transfer portal of the banks. It will further expedite the process and will prevent any frauds as the beneficiary will receive the funds directly from the government treasury to their authenticated bank accounts. The account authentication will be done through National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).”

Know Announced Subsidy Details

It is pertinent to mention here that the government of Odisha provides a subsidy of 15 per cent of the cost, up to a maximum of Rs 5000 for electric two-wheelers. The cap on 15 pc subsidy for three-wheelers is Rs 10000, and for four-wheelers, it is Rs 50000. The vehicles purchased on or after September 1, 2021 are eligible for the subsidy. As per the policy, the provision of subsidy would continue for four years from 01.09.2021.

All four-wheeler EV buyers can avail the incentives too. However, the two-wheeler EVs will have to qualify on the basis of performance and quality check criteria as specified under Phase II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme.

The conditions include minimum top speed of 40km/h, minimum acceleration of 0.65m/s2, maximum electric energy consumption not exceeding 7kWh/100 km, and at least three years of comprehensive warranty including a battery warranty from the manufacturer. In addition to this subsidy, the owners of electric vehicles purchased within Odisha are now getting 100% exemption of motor vehicle (MV) tax and registration fees.