Bhubaneswar, March 20 (IANS) As many as 1,61,338 electric vehicles (EVs) are plying on the roads in the state, said Odisha Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena on Thursday.

While answering to a question asked by MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo in the state assembly, the transport minister on Thursday said that the electric vehicles consist 1.35 per cent out of the total vehicles plying in the state.

He further asserted that the growth rate of registration of electric vehicles in Odisha is at par with the national average. As per the information shared by the transport minister in the assembly on Thursday, as many as 5,626 numbers of electric vehicles were registered in 2021.

The registration of EVs witnessed a rise of 405.63 per cent in 2022.

As many as 28,447 new EVs were registered in the state in 2022. The registration of EVs in Odisha was 44,545 and 65,977 in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Similarly, 10,423 EVs have been registered in the state so far in 2025.

The Minister further revealed that the maximum number of EVs have been registered in Khordha district while Phulbani recorded the lowest number of EV registrations in Odisha from 2021 till March 12, 2025.

As many as 45,195 EVs have been registered during the above period in Khurdha district.

The number of EVs registered in Cuttack, Balasore, Puri, Sundargarh districts during the period was 19,986, 10,174, 11,287 and 10,290, respectively.

Earlier, the transport minister had noted that the state government has provided subsidies amounting to Rs 232.45 crore to the buyers of EVs since 2021 till March 5, 2025 under the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy 2021.

The Odisha government provides subsidies for electric vehicles, with amounts varying based on the vehicle type (two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers).

Besides, the state government employees can avail of interest-free loans for purchasing electric vehicles. The Odisha government is providing exemptions on road tax and registration fees for e-buses.

–IANS

gyan/pgh