Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday, June 6, 2026, highlighted India's solar energy transformation over the past 12 years, citing a rise in installed capacity from 2.8 GW in 2014 to 155 GW in 2026 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

Context

Rijiju posted in Hindi, stating: '12 साल: सौर ऊर्जा में भारत की उपलब्धि बेमिसाल!' ('12 years: India's achievement in solar energy is unparalleled!'). He credited Modi's 'visionary leadership' for what he described as unprecedented progress in the solar sector. The post also noted that over 40 lakh households across the country are now powered by solar energy.

Rijiju further highlighted a shift in the role of farmers, writing that the Indian farmer is becoming not just a provider of food (annadaata) but also a provider of energy (urjadaata) — a reference to schemes enabling farmers to generate and sell solar power.

Policy Backdrop

India's solar push has deep policy roots. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in 2010 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, set an initial target of 20 GW by 2022, later revised to 100 GW during the 2015 revision. The country has since far exceeded that benchmark.

The PM-KUSUM scheme, approved in 2019, has been central to empowering farmers with decentralised solar infrastructure — allowing them to install solar pumps and grid-connected plants and sell surplus electricity. At COP26 in 2021, India committed to 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2070.

India co-founded the International Solar Alliance with France in 2015, headquartered in Gurugram, to champion solar adoption globally — reinforcing its position as a leader in the clean energy transition.

Stakeholders and Impact

The most direct beneficiaries of this expansion are rural households and farmers. Rooftop solar schemes have brought electricity access to communities previously dependent on unreliable grid supply, while PM-KUSUM has given the agricultural sector a new income stream through energy generation.

India's aggressive scaling of solar capacity also serves its broader energy security goals, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports and helping manage rising domestic electricity demand. The expansion aligns with India's Paris Agreement commitments and its stated climate targets.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the forthcoming budget session of Parliament, where debates on the next phase of renewable energy targets and potential updates to rooftop solar subsidy schemes are expected. India's trajectory toward its 500 GW non-fossil fuel target by 2030 will require sustained policy momentum and capital deployment at scale.

Rijiju's post signals the ruling dispensation's intent to keep solar energy expansion as a flagship governance narrative heading into the second half of the decade.