Chief Secretary of J&K Aims for 30,000 Solar Rooftops by March Under PM Surya Ghar Yojana

Jammu, Jan 4 (NationPress) The Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Atal Dulloo, led a meeting with officials on Friday to review the progress of solar rooftop installations under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in the Union Territory (UT) and has established a target of 30,000 installations by March 2025, according to an official statement.

Dulloo stressed the importance of rigorous Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns to boost awareness about this initiative.

"He (The Chief Secretary) urged the creation of awareness materials in local languages for better understanding, in addition to sending bulk SMS notifications to the targeted consumers," the statement noted.

"He instructed officials to engage with each panchayat through comprehensive programs distributing IEC materials in local dialects, along with showcasing educational videos and success stories. He also urged the discoms to appoint nodal officers among their engineers to ensure these tasks are completed with relevant feedback to their superiors," the statement added.

The Chief Secretary remarked that such schemes are reformative with direct benefits to the populace.

He called for concerted efforts to increase both the number of applicants and the prompt execution of installations.

"He also set a target for the discoms to facilitate the installation of approximately 30,000 solar rooftops throughout the districts of the UT," the statement mentioned.

"He recommended intensifying the outreach efforts until the desired results are achieved."

The Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department, H. Rajesh Prasad, mentioned during the meeting that financial institutions and banks are offering loans at a rate of seven percent to ease the installation process for consumers.

Additionally, financial assistance from the central government is disbursed directly to the applicants' bank accounts only after the vendors have completed the installations for 15 days.

He revealed that the savings from this scheme, even when financed through bank loans, are substantial.

He noted that a subsidy of Rs 33,000 per kW is provided by the Union government, along with an extra subsidy of Rs 3,000 per kW from the state government, applicable up to an installation capacity of 3 kW for domestic consumers.

As of now, it was reported that around 11,000 applications have been received by the respective discoms in the Jammu and Kashmir divisions, with 617 installations completed to date.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that the savings are expected to increase with future adjustments in power tariffs.

This scheme is anticipated to significantly enhance efforts in reducing Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, thus improving efficiency in power supply to consumers.

Later, the Chief Secretary evaluated the solarization of government buildings through the Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA).

"He (Chief Secretary) requested the department to improve the implementation of this scheme to achieve the necessary wattage before its deadline," the statement said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Commissioner Secretary for Science and Technology, Saurabh Bhagat, informed the meeting that 4,108 buildings have been covered, resulting in the installation of a capacity of 35.2 MW.

Moreover, the vendors have currently installed a capacity of 13.6 MW, Bhagat added.

Regarding the overall workload, it was reported that under Capex, a total of 70 MW capacity of grid-connected solar rooftops will be installed on government buildings, in addition to 238 MW under the RESCO mode by NHPC and JAKEDA cumulatively.