News Brief
Cabinet Approves PM Surya Ghar For Free Electricity Through Rooftop Solar Plants, Here Are All Details To Avail Scheme
Solar panels installed on rooftop
Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday (29 February) announced the approval of PM Surya Ghar - Muft Bijli Yojana (free electricity scheme) by the Narendra Modi Cabinet.
Under this scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, 1 crore households could avail of 300 units of free electricity and an annual income of Rs 15,000.
This scheme was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech and subsequently launched by PM Modi on 13 February. 45 GW of renewable energy will be produced under this scheme.
Here are more details:
60 per cent of the benchmark cost will be given as subsidy by the Centre to every household for up to 2 KW rooftop solar plant.
For another 1 KW capacity over 2 KW plant, 40 per cent cost will be given as subsidy.
This means that of the total cost of Rs 1.45 lakh for a 3 KW solar plant, Rs 78,000 will be given by the Central government.
A portal was launched where interested households can apply for rooftop solar plant and choose a vendor for installation.
After installation, the certificate can be uploaded on the portal to avail subsidy through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
For the remaining amount (cost minus subsidy), loans can be availed from banks at interest rates as low as repo rate plus 0.5 per cent.
For common facilities of RWA and Group Housing Societies, a subsidy of Rs 18,000 every KW for up to 500 KW will be given.
DISCOMs will be incentivised to adjust to this new arrangement.
Commercial and industrial sectors will get single window clearance on thenational portal for rooftop solarisation.
For MSMEs, low-interest rates loans will be available for solarisation.
Model Solar Village will be created in each district.
Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions will be incentivised for rooftop solarisation.
Rooftop solar plants will be deployed in Central governments all buildings by 2025 in mission mode.
The subsidy will be given only on made-in-India cells and modules.
Rs 75,021 crore will be spent on this between 2023-24 to 2026-27.
