New Delhi, Nov. 28 -- As headline numbers go, India's subsidies for promoting electric mobility are extremely modest. The Union Budget for 2025-26 allocated an estimated Rs.4.26 trillion for various subsidies, of which food and fertilizer accounted for 87%, and the LPG subsidy another 3%. Of the remaining Rs.42,000-odd crore, electric mobility subsidies accounted for Rs.5,322 crore.

II (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Electric Vehicles) scheme, which ended in 2024, spent a total of Rs.8,844 crore, including Rs.6,577 crore for subsidies, with the balance for capital assets and other expenses out of a cumulative Rs.11,500 crore allocation over its lifespan.

But even this modest pie has multiple claimants with differing views on what de...