The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has invited charge point operators (CPOs) to establish public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations under the Centre’s PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme. The invitation targets Category C, which includes city streets, shopping malls, market complexes, and highways — places with unrestricted public access. Only established operators experienced in developing and managing EV charging infrastructure can apply. KSEB, appointed as the state nodal agency, handles demand aggregation and proposal submissions to the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). The PM E-DRIVE scheme has a national budget of ₹10,900 crore, with ₹2,000 crore allocated for public charging infrastructure. Category C operators can avail an 80% subsidy on upstream infrastructure costs. Earlier, KSEB submitted Phase I and II proposals for 342 locations under categories A and B, covering government lands with an estimated cost of ₹274 crore. Category A caters to government offices, while Category B refers to government-owned lands in cities and highways. For Category C, KSEB has created an online portal to ease CPO applications. The Ministry of Heavy Industries has full authority to evaluate and approve proposals and release subsidies. Kerala currently has over 3 lakh electric vehicles mostly passenger vehicles. The state is now working to build high-capacity charging points for e-trucks on freight corridors under PM E-DRIVE. This move is a big step to fast-track EV adoption and create a robust public charging network across Kerala and India.