Minister of state (MoS) for heavy industries, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, yesterday informed the Parliament that more than 18.01 Lakh electric vehicles (EVs) have been incentivised under the Prime Minister Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme, as of March 12.
In a written reply before the Lok Sabha, Varma said, “… Under the PM E-DRIVE Scheme, as on 12.03.2026, a total of 18,01,307 EVs have been incentivised…”.
He also said that 16.2 Lakh EVs were incentivised under the erstwhile FAME-II scheme.
The MoS also said that approval has been accorded for deployment of 13,800 electric buses across seven major cities under the PM E-DRIVE initiative. These cities include Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Surat.
Under the scheme, support is available for deployment of 14,028 e-buses in nine major cities (including Chennai and Kolkata which so far have not raised any demand).
Varma also said that 71 applicants have been granted approval under the production-linked-incentive (PLI) scheme for automobiles and auto components. As of December 2025, the Centre has rolled out financial incentives to the tune of ₹39,081 Cr under the initiative.
Responding to a separate question, MoS for commerce Jitin Prasada said that nearly half of the total 2.12 Lakh DPIIT-recognised startups in the country have at least one woman director or partner.
“As on 31st January 2026, a total of 2,12,283 entities have been recognised as startups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Of the total entities recognised as startups, 1,02,054 entities have at least one-woman director/partner,” said Prasada.
The MoS commerce also noted that of the 6,789 DPIIT-recognised startups categorised as closed or dissolved, 2,950 had at least one-woman director or partner at the end of January 2026.
Prasada also said that ₹2,995 Cr has been invested in women-led startups by AIFs under the fund of funds scheme (FFS) since 2020 (till January 2026). FFS was established in 2016 to unlock domestic capital for new-age tech ventures. The state-backed fund invests in AIFs, which then invest in startups.
Under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), selected incubators have dished out seed funding totalling ₹294 Cr to women-led startups between April 2021 and January 2026. Established in April 2021 with an outlay of ₹945 Cr, the SISFS provides financial assistance to early-stage startups via incubators across multiple stages of development.
Finally, the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) has facilitated loans to the tune of ₹925.9 Cr to startup as of January 2026. Of this, ₹39 Cr has been guaranteed to women-led new age tech ventures between April 2023 and January 2026.
CGSS offers debt funding for startups through financial institutions by offering guarantees up to a specified limit against credit instruments.
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