Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Tuesday, 2 June 2026 that Odisha has been selected for the PM Surya Ghar Excellence Awards, citing the state's top performance across multiple categories in the 'Month of Solar' campaign held in May 2026. The state ranked first among medium-consumer states in highest consumer applications, highest solar installations, and highest DISCOM inspections, and secured third place nationally in the 'Maximum Vendor Registrations' category.

Context

Posting in Odia, Chief Minister Majhi wrote: 'ସୌର ଶକ୍ତିର ଉପଯୋଗ ଓ ସ୍ଥାୟୀ ବିକାଶ ଦିଗରେ ଓଡ଼ିଶା ଆଜି ସାରା ଦେଶ ପାଇଁ ଏକ ଦୃଷ୍ଟାନ୍ତ ପାଲଟିଛି' ['In the direction of solar energy utilisation and sustainable development, Odisha has today become an example for the entire country']. He credited the achievement to inter-departmental coordination and collective efforts of field-level officers across the state. Majhi extended congratulations to all departments, officials, and stakeholders associated with the campaign.

The PM Surya Ghar Excellence Awards are conferred by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to recognise state-level performance on implementation metrics of the central rooftop solar scheme. The 'Month of Solar' in May 2026 was a focused national drive to accelerate household-level solar adoption.

Policy Backdrop

The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in February 2024, is a central government rooftop solar subsidy programme targeting one crore households with financial assistance of up to Rs 78,000 per beneficiary. The scheme is a cornerstone of India's push to reach 500 GW of non-fossil fuel power capacity and fulfil its updated Nationally Determined Contribution commitment of sourcing 50 per cent of cumulative electric power from non-fossil sources by 2030.

Odisha, traditionally associated with coal mining and heavy industry, has been expanding its renewable energy footprint in recent years. The state's performance in this campaign signals a meaningful shift in eastern India's participation in national solar targets, a region historically less prominent than western and southern states in rooftop solar uptake.

Stakeholders and Impact

The award recognition directly reflects outcomes for three key groups: households that applied for and received rooftop solar installations, solar vendors who registered on the scheme's portal, and DISCOMs (electricity distribution companies) responsible for technical inspections and net-metering approvals. A high DISCOM inspection count indicates that the state's utilities kept pace with application volumes, a common bottleneck in other states.

For households, successful installation under the scheme means subsidised clean electricity and reduced monthly power bills. For vendors, Odisha's third-place ranking in registrations points to a growing commercial ecosystem for rooftop solar in the state.

What's Next

Chief Minister Majhi stated that Odisha remains 'committed to eco-friendly development in the new energy sector' and that this success will 'lay the foundation for building a self-reliant Odisha.' The state government is expected to sustain momentum through continued inter-departmental coordination as national reviews of PM Surya Ghar progress are anticipated later in 2026. Whether Odisha can maintain its ranking among medium-consumer states in subsequent campaign cycles will be a key indicator of the durability of this push.