NEW DELHI, June 7 -- A tender under a central government scheme to deploy 3,604 electric buses in smaller cities has been delayed by a month, dealing a setback to India's push for cleaner public transport and reducing reliance on crude oil imports.

Bids for the tender-the third under the government's PM e-Bus Sewa scheme-will now close on 7 July, instead of 5 June, according to a 2 June notification from state-run Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), the tendering agency.

This comes amid frequent delays in the scheme, which is key to India's green mobility transition. The bid closing date for the first tender under the scheme was deferred at least six times.

This tender for 3,600 electric buses was first floated in November 2023, an...