



Delhi joins the Centre's e-bus payment security scheme
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : The national capital, India’s largest market for electric buses, has been included in the PM e-Bus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) Scheme that has already onboarded 15 Indian states, two government officials aware of the development said. The Centre has also released the first tranche of ₹500 crore for the ₹3,435.33-crore scheme, envisioned to provide payment security in the event of default by public transport authorities (PTAs) to e-bus bidders, operators, or original equipment manufacturers, the people added, on the condition of anonymity.
The heavy industries ministry's October 2024 scheme aims to accelerate the deployment of 38,000 e-buses. Mint reported on 25 November 2025 that the 2,800 e-buses allocated to Delhi under the ₹10,900 crore PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-Drive) Scheme were in limbo, as the Delhi government had not completed the process of obtaining a direct debit mandate (DDM) with the Reserve Bank of India. The DDM acts as a payment security mechanism, allowing the central bank to automatically deduct funds from a state’s account to ensure timely payments to bus manufacturers.
“They (Delhi government) have completed the procedure now," said the first government official, adding that a separate fund was created under the 1993 Delhi Act to cater to the PSM fund. The Delhi government completed the onboarding procedure by registering a DDM with the RBI in January 2026, the second official added. In essence, if a PTA is unable to pay bus makers or operators, the PSM would be used instead to ensure routine payments.
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