India, Nov. 10 -- Union minister for housing, urban affairs and power Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that the expansion of metro services across India is being undertaken to ease traffic congestion in the country's crowded cities. He announced that a separate licence for last-mile connectivity will no longer be required, as it will now be integrated with the metro service licence itself.

Khattar made the announcement at the valedictory session of the 18th Urban Mobility India (UMI) conference, which concluded in Gurugram on Sunday.

Emphasising the need to strengthen sustainable transport, the minister said increasing the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and addressing challenges related to charging infrastructure are key to improving ...