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'EV charging facilities mandatory for all apartments in Karnataka'

Agencies
February 22, 2021

Bengaluru, Feb 22: In order to boost use of electric vehicles in Bengaluru and across the state, Karnataka government on Monday clarified that it is mandatory for all apartments and large buildings to have electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities in their premises.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan said that the government is taking enough steps to implement this in all apartments and large buildings.

Taking part in a virtual conclave ‘Sustainable Transport in Future’ organised by Harvard India, Dr Ashwath Narayan said, “Providing the electric vehicle is not enough but we need to provide easy charging options in all locations in the coming days. More and more battery-run vehicles will hit the market and motorists can drive those vehicles by hiring batteries. Soon, battery bunks close on the lines of petrol bunks will come up. This will not only bring down the prices of electric vehicles but also provide motorists with a wide range of choices.”

Suggesting that switching over to electric vehicles is the only way to curb rising levels of air pollution, he clarified that the government has provided all subsidies to promote the use of electric vehicles.

“Discount on power tariff, subsidies on electric vehicles and spare parts have been provided already. Karnataka has been a pioneering state on that front by bringing out an electric vehicle policy for the first time in the country,” he pointed out.

Clarifying that there is no shortage of power in Karnataka, Narayan assured that electricity to EVs will be charged less than the commercial tariff now and in future also. Besides, he also declared support and all assistance to investors in the EV manufacturing and production sector.

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News Network
January 23,2026

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122-paragraph address prepared by the Congress-led state government while addressing the joint session of the Legislature on Thursday, effectively bypassing large sections critical of the BJP-led Union government.

The omitted portions of the customary Governor’s address outlined what the state government described as a “suppressive situation in economic and policy matters” under India’s federal framework. The speech also sharply criticised the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-GRAM (G) Act.

Governor Gehlot had earlier conveyed his objection to several paragraphs that were explicitly critical of the Union government. On Thursday, he confined himself to the opening lines — “I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the joint session of the State legislature. I am extremely pleased to address this august House” — before jumping directly to the concluding sentence of the final paragraph.

He ended the address by reading the last line of paragraph 122: “Overall, my government is firmly committed to doubling the pace of the State’s economic, social and physical development. Jai Hind — Jai Karnataka.”

According to the prepared speech, the Karnataka government demanded the scrapping of the VB-GRAM (G) Act, describing it as “contractor-centric” and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and called for the full restoration of MGNREGA. The state government argued that the new law undermines decentralisation, weakens labour protections, and centralises decision-making in violation of constitutional norms.

Key points from the unread sections of the speech:

•    Karnataka facing a “suppressive” economic and policy environment within the federal system

•    Repeal of MGNREGA described as a blow to rural livelihoods

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of protecting corporate and contractor interests

•    New law alleged to weaken decentralised governance

•    Decision-making said to be imposed by the Centre without consulting states

•    Rights of Adivasis, women, backward classes and agrarian communities curtailed

•    Labourers allegedly placed under contractor control

•    States facing mounting fiscal stress due to central policies

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of enabling large-scale corruption

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