Out of 36 states and Union Territories assessed across India, Maharashtra has claimed the second position in the Renewable Energy State Assessment Framework 2026, scoring 76.07 points — a formal verdict delivered at the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo 2026 in New Delhi. The award was presented by Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and received by Minister of State Meghna Sakore-Bordikar and the state's Additional Chief Secretary, on Friday, 6 November 2026.

Three schemes that moved the needle

The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra credited three flagship programmes for the ranking. The Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana - 2.0 (Mukhyamantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana — 2.0) channels dedicated solar power directly to agricultural feeders, giving farmers reliable daytime electricity for irrigation without burdening the grid. Alongside it, the Magel Tyala Saur Krushi Pump Yojana extends solar pump access to farmers on demand — a targeted last-mile push. The third pillar, the central government's PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, drives rooftop solar adoption at the household level, cutting electricity bills while adding distributed generation capacity. Together, the three programmes represent Maharashtra's bet that agriculture-sector solarisation is both a fiscal tool — trimming power subsidies — and a clean-energy accelerant.

Maharashtra's solar push inside India's 500 GW race

The ranking is not incidental. India is working toward 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, a commitment embedded in its updated Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. State-level frameworks like the Renewable Energy State Assessment are designed to create competitive pressure within India's federal structure — rewarding governments that deploy fast and govern well. Maharashtra's agricultural solar focus traces its lineage back to the central PM-KUSUM scheme launched in 2019, which first incentivised solar pumps and feeders for the farm sector, and before that to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission of 2010, which set India on its utility-scale solar path.

Fadnavis frames the win, Bordikar collects the trophy

The CMO credited the result to 'the visionary leadership of CM Devendra Fadnavis,' who has made renewable energy deployment a centrepiece of Maharashtra's economic identity since returning to the chief ministership. MoS Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, who physically received the award at the New Delhi summit, is the state's ministerial face for energy transition — her presence at a national forum underscores how Maharashtra is positioning the ranking as diplomatic currency in future project negotiations and central fund allocations. Second place, with the top slot still contested, also hands the government a clear political target: the next iteration of the framework is now Maharashtra's to aim at.