Union Consumer Affairs and New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, congratulated the residents of Thenhi village in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, after the hamlet was designated the district's first PM Surya Ghar Model Village, powered by a 142 kW community solar plant installed under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

Context

Joshi described the development as 'a shining example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for a clean, self-reliant and energy-secure India.' The minister noted that the initiative would help households reduce electricity bills, with many moving towards zero electricity bills, while contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future for the village.

Thenhi's designation marks a milestone for Dhamtari district, making it the first village in the district to achieve Model Village status under the scheme — a recognition tied to community-scale solar adoption rather than individual rooftop installations alone.

Policy Backdrop

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana was formally launched on 13 February 2024 with the goal of installing rooftop solar systems in one crore households across India, providing eligible beneficiaries up to 300 units of free electricity per month. The scheme was announced in the 2024-25 Union Budget as a flagship initiative under the Atmanirbhar Bharat push for domestic energy self-reliance.

The scheme encourages both individual household rooftop systems and community-scale installations, the latter designed to serve villages where individual rooftops may be structurally unsuitable for solar panels. Thenhi's 142 kW community plant exemplifies this community-first model.

India's broader renewable energy ambition targets 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070. Solar energy has been central to this push, tracing back to the National Solar Mission launched in 2010.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are rural households in Thenhi village who will see reduced or eliminated monthly electricity bills through the community solar arrangement. For low-income families in rural Chhattisgarh, energy cost relief can translate directly into improved household savings and reduced dependence on the conventional grid.

The Model Village designation also carries reputational and administrative significance — villages that achieve this status are expected to serve as demonstration sites, encouraging neighbouring villages and districts to pursue similar solar adoption under the scheme.

What's Next

The government is expected to track and publish state-level progress reports on Model Villages under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, with the next round of central financial assistance for rooftop solar installations also under watch. If Thenhi's model proves replicable, other villages in Chhattisgarh and across India could accelerate their own community solar projects, pushing national rooftop solar capacity closer to the scheme's one-crore-household target.