Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar along with Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, Special Chief Secretary Vikas Raj and others inspect electric vehicles at State Secretariat Dr. BR Ambedkar Telangana in Hyderabad March 24, 2026 | Photo credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
Telangana government employees will get up to 20% discount on purchase of two-wheeler and four-wheeler electric vehicles (EVs) from some companies. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar announced on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) that this was made possible after several rounds of negotiations with leading EV manufacturers including Mahindra Electric, Ola Electric, Gravton Motors and Ather Energy.
Addressing the media in Hyderabad, the minister said this is the first case in India where the state government has negotiated discounts from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for its employees to buy electric cars. The rebate is provided through OEM negotiations under the collective institutional framework and does not involve direct budget subsidy, as per the official release,
The government has already introduced an electric vehicle policy that provides 100% exemption from road tax and registration fees for electric vehicles, including two-wheelers, four-wheelers, taxis, autorickshaws, cargo carriers, tractors and buses. “With an additional (up to) 20% discount on purchase, on top of the existing 100% exemption from road tax and registration fees, Telangana makes EV ownership among the most affordable in the country. By empowering government employees to be early adopters, we are accelerating the transition to cleaner mobility across society,” said Mr. Prabhakar.
Since the introduction of the EV policy, 1,15,551 EVs have been sold and the government has incurred a loss of ₹925.94 crore. Still, the government supports the adoption of EVs, he said.
The transport minister said charging infrastructure will be expanded across the state, including government offices and large public parking lots, to support the transition to EVs.
On the occasion, he spoke about other government initiatives, including a mandate to only lease or purchase electric cars for government departments within the Core Urban Region (CORE), 2,800 electric buses operating as part of the public transport fleet and an initiative to equip nearly 1,000 auto-rickshaws – petrol, diesel or gas-powered – with electric kits.
Published – 24 March 2026 15:29 IST
