PM Modi Meets Families Benefiting from Free Solar Electricity Scheme in Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Gujarat and shared his experience of interacting with the beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. During his visit, he met Jagshibhai Suthar and his family, who have directly benefited from the scheme.
In a social media post, PM Modi stated, “During my recent Gujarat visit, I went to the home of Jagshibhai Suthar. He and his family have benefitted from the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. I also met other beneficiaries of this scheme. Here are the highlights.”
About PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana
The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is a central scheme aimed at providing free electricity to one crore households in India through rooftop solar units. The Government of India approved the scheme on February 29, 2024, with the goal of increasing solar rooftop capacity and empowering residential households to generate their own electricity.
The scheme has a budget of Rs 75,021 crore and will be implemented until the fiscal year 2026-27. It will be managed by a National Programme Implementation Agency (NPIA) at the national level and by State Implementation Agencies (SIAs) at the state level.
Subsidy Details
The scheme provides a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2kW capacity and 40% of the additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3kW capacity, with a cap at 3kW capacity. At current benchmark prices, this translates to Rs 30,000 subsidy for a 1kW system, Rs 60,000 for a 2kW system, and Rs 78,000 for a 3kW system or higher.
Implementation
The Distribution Utility (DISCOMs or Power/Energy Departments) will act as the State Implementation Agencies (SIA) at the State/UT level. They are required to implement several facilitative measures to promote rooftop solar in their areas, such as availability of net meters, timely inspection and commissioning of installations, vendor registration and management, and interdepartmental convergence for solarizing government buildings.
Doubts Revealed
PM Modi -: PM Modi is the Prime Minister of India. He is the leader of the country and makes important decisions for the nation.
Gujarat -: Gujarat is a state in western India. It is known for its rich culture and history.
PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana -: This is a government scheme that provides free electricity to homes using solar power. ‘Surya’ means sun, ‘Ghar’ means home, ‘Muft’ means free, and ‘Bijli’ means electricity.
rooftop solar units -: These are solar panels installed on the roofs of houses. They capture sunlight and turn it into electricity.
one crore households -: One crore is a large number, equal to 10 million. So, the scheme aims to help 10 million homes.
Rs 75,021 crore -: This is the budget for the scheme. ‘Rs’ stands for Indian Rupees, and ‘crore’ is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to 10 million. So, Rs 75,021 crore is a very large amount of money.
subsidies -: Subsidies are financial help from the government to make things cheaper. In this case, the government helps pay for the solar systems.
2kW and 3kW -: kW stands for kilowatt, a unit of power. 2kW and 3kW are measures of how much electricity the solar systems can produce.
