How Have 15.45 Lakh Households Benefitted from Rooftop Solar Installations?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- 15.45 lakh households have benefited from rooftop solar installations.
- The initiative is part of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
- Financial assistance of Rs one crore is allocated for each model village.
- Incentives of Rs 1,000 are provided for each rooftop solar installation.
- The target is to reach one crore households by March 2027.
New Delhi, July 23 (NationPress) As of July 14, 15.45 lakh households across the nation and 5.23 lakh households in Gujarat have reaped the benefits of rooftop solar installations, which also includes those in rural regions, as reported to Parliament on Wednesday.
A key element of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, initiated in February 2024, is to establish a Model Solar Village in every district of India.
According to Shripad Yesso Naik, the Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Rs 800 crore has been earmarked for this initiative, with a provision for central financial assistance of Rs one crore for each model village.
Moreover, the scheme includes an ‘Incentives to Local Bodies’ component, which provides an incentive of Rs 1,000 for every rooftop solar installation within the jurisdiction of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) at the Gram Panchayat level.
The goal of this initiative is to facilitate rooftop solar installations in one crore households within the residential sector by offering central financial support.
This demand-driven scheme allows all residential consumers, including those in rural areas with a grid-connected electricity connection from the local DISCOM, to benefit by applying through the National Portal.
The government has implemented various measures to enhance the effectiveness of the scheme, such as an online process for registration to subsidy disbursement directly into the bank accounts of residential consumers via the National Portal. Additionally, collateral-free loans are available from nationalized banks at a concessional interest rate of 6 percent per annum for a tenure of 10 years. The regulatory approval process has also been simplified by waiving the technical feasibility requirement and introducing auto load enhancement up to 10 kW.
The scheme aims to extend solar power to one crore households by March 2027.