New Delhi, December 16 (IANS). Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme is bringing a big change in the electricity system of homes in the country. Under this scheme, till now the electricity bill of more than 7.7 lakh houses in the country has become zero. Under this scheme, solar panels are being installed on the rooftops of houses, due to which people are getting relief from electricity bills. This information was given by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on Tuesday.
The main objective of this scheme, launched in February 2024, is to provide cheap and clean energy to the people and reduce the electricity expenditure of their homes. Also, this scheme is helping the country move towards clean energy.
Sharing the information in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said that till December 9, 19,45,758 rooftop solar systems have been installed across the country. 24,35,196 families have benefited from these solar systems. Of these, there are lakhs of families whose electricity bill has now been completely wiped out.
The aim of this scheme is to install rooftop solar systems in one crore houses in the country by the financial year 2026–27. For this, the government has fixed a budget of Rs 75,021 crore.
The objective of this scheme is to promote energy self-reliance, reduce electricity bills and support the country’s clean energy transition.
According to the ministry’s data, Gujarat has emerged as the leading state in this scheme, where more than 4.93 lakh rooftop solar systems have been installed so far, benefiting more than 7.10 lakh families. Out of these, the electricity bill of 3.62 lakh houses has become completely zero.
Apart from Gujarat, good progress is also being seen under this scheme in states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Haryana. Thousands of families in these states have installed solar systems on the rooftops of their homes and are now using cheap and clean electricity.
The government is ensuring that installing solar systems is easy and affordable for the common people. For this, the central government is providing financial assistance and is also providing cheap loans without guarantee. The interest rate on this loan has been kept at only 5.75 percent, which reduces the initial cost of installing a solar system.
–IANS
Durgesh Bahadur/ABS