New and Renewable Minister Pralhad Joshi today said that India has made extraordinary strides in renewable energy emerging as one of the world’s top producers of non-fossil fuel capacity. The Minister made these remarks on the event of two years of PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: Scaling the solar home to 1 crore rooftops in New Delhi. He said, the main reason for the success of this scheme is that citizens of the country have understood that they can generate their own electricity on rooftops and their electricity bill can become zero. The Minister also underlined the environmental and long-term economic benefits of renewables over thermal power.
During the event, Mr Joshi launched Whatsapp chatbot: SUNtosh and PM Surya Ghar logo. PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is a government scheme that aims to provide free electricity to households in India. Under the scheme, households are provided with a subsidy to install solar panels on their roofs. The subsidy will cover up to 40 percent of the cost of the solar panels.
Meanwhile, the Minister also chaired a meeting with officials from several Ministries and institutions to take stock of the progress of rooftop solar installations on government buildings. In a social media post, Mr Joshi said that he reviewed the performance of the Departments and Ministries in this regard. The Minister noted that around 80 percent of the installation target has been achieved. He informed that over 53 thousand government buildings have been solarised, with a cumulative installed capacity of 855 Megawatt. During the meeting, the Minister directed officials to ensure that the Ministry and Department shall designate a nodal officer to fast track the implementation. Mr Joshi highlighted the need to synergise data for a transparent and consolidated assessment, emphasised closer coordination among institutions, and directed all stakeholders to fast-track implementation.
