Families in Gandhinagar district, Gujarat, say the Centre's PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has dramatically lowered their monthly electricity costs, freeing up household savings that are now being channelled into children's education and essential expenses. Residents of Shalin-2 Society in the Vavol area are among those reporting bills that have fallen from over ₹20,000 a month to a few thousand rupees following rooftop solar installations.

Sharp Fall in Monthly Bills

Beneficiary Gajsi Suthar said his household electricity bill had previously exceeded ₹20,000 per month. 'My household's electricity bill had earlier exceeded ₹20,000. Following the installation of a rooftop solar plant under the scheme, I received considerable relief from the expense and is using the savings to meet my children's educational needs and other household requirements,' he said. Suthar also noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally visited Shalin-2 Society to meet beneficiaries, inspect the rooftop panels, and learn about residents' experiences.

Another resident, Priya Patel from Vavol, reported an even steeper reduction. 'My family's monthly electricity bill had previously ranged between ₹25,000 and ₹26,000. After installing a solar plant, the bill had come down to between ₹3,000 and ₹5,000 at most,' she said. Patel added that the savings are being directed towards her children's higher education and future requirements, and urged other households to consider adopting rooftop solar.

How Savings Are Being Redirected

Beneficiary Jasiben Suthar said the reduction in electricity costs had helped families retain more money for their children's needs, expressing gratitude to the Prime Minister for the initiative. Ushaben Patel echoed this, noting that the monthly savings generated through solar installations are helping families manage day-to-day expenses and meet children's requirements with greater ease. Collectively, these accounts paint a picture of a policy that is translating subsidy infrastructure into tangible household financial relief.

About the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is a Central government scheme that promotes rooftop solar installations in residential households, with the primary objective of reducing electricity expenditure through solar power generation. The scheme provides subsidies to eligible households for the installation of solar panels. The experiences shared by Gandhinagar residents illustrate how reduced power bills can directly improve household financial health, particularly in middle- and lower-income families where electricity costs form a significant share of monthly expenditure.

Broader Significance

This comes amid the Centre's broader push to expand renewable energy access at the household level. Notably, the direct link residents are drawing between lower energy bills and improved educational investment highlights an indirect social dividend of the programme that goes beyond its stated energy objectives. The Gandhinagar district accounts, if replicated at scale, suggest that rooftop solar subsidies could function as an effective indirect support mechanism for household education spending. How many families have enrolled under the scheme across Gujarat and nationally remains a figure worth tracking as the programme matures.