Raipur, Jul 26 (PTI) The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, aimed at providing affordable solar energy and reducing electricity bills, is increasingly becoming popular among the residents of Chhattisgarh owing to the subsidies granted by the central as well as state governments, an official said.
To make rooftop solar installations more cost-effective, the central government has been offering a subsidy of up to Rs 78,000, while the Chhattisgarh government has recently announced an additional subsidy of up to Rs 30,000, the public relations department official said.
This double benefit is significantly lowering the overall cost of solar system installation for households, he said.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the state is heading to a new direction in the field of power generation. Through the ‘PM Surya Ghar Yojana’, now the houses of the state are being illuminated by solar energy and means of employment are also being created, he added.
Anil Kumar Sahu, a resident of Dabhra in Sakti district, installed a 3kW rooftop solar system under the scheme. He now produces enough electricity to make his monthly bill zero and even earns income by supplying excess power to the grid.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Vishnu Deo Sai for the energy self-reliance initiative, Sahu said the scheme is both economically beneficial and environment-friendly.
Another beneficiary of the scheme, Swati Yadav, a resident of Metepar village in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district, has made her house self-sufficient in the field of energy by installing solar panels on the roof of her house.
She has installed a 2 kilowatt solar panel on the roof of her house, due to which her electricity bill has now become zero.
Yadav said that she had to pay an electricity bill of Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,200 every month. But now, thanks to this scheme, she is getting the entire amount in the form of savings, which has given a big relief to her family financially.
Under this scheme, she was provided a grant amount (subsidy) of Rs 78,000 by the government, which made it easy and affordable for her to install solar panels.
Last month, the state cabinet gave the nod to provide financial assistance to consumers for setting up solar rooftop plants in their houses under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, an official statement said.
Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) will provide additional financial assistance to consumers other than the Centre’s financial aid, for installing solar rooftop plants at the homes of domestic consumers, which will vary based on the capacity of the solar plant (1 kW, 2 kW, 3 kW and above), it said.
A total of Rs 45,000 will be provided for a 1 kW plant (Rs 30,000 as central and Rs 15,000 as state assistance), while for a plant of 3 kW or more, the aid will be Rs 1,08,000 (Rs 78,000 as central and Rs 30,000 as state assistance), it said.
Similar assistance has been proposed for housing societies/residential welfare associations. This grant amount will be received by CSPDCL in advance and will be later disbursed to the beneficiaries. A target has been set to install 60,000 such solar power plants in the year 2025-26 and 70,000 solar power plants in 2026-27. This will entail a financial burden of Rs 180 crore in the financial year 2025-26 and Rs 210 crore in 2026-27, it said. PTI TKP NP
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