• The government issued operational guidelines for implementation of ‘Model Solar Village’ component under PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

• Under the scheme component, emphasis has been laid on creating one model solar village per district across India, to promote solar energy adoption and enable village communities to become self-reliant in energy needs.

• A financial outlay of Rs 800 crore has been allocated for this component, providing Rs 1 crore per selected Model Solar Village.

• The scheme guidelines for implementation of Model Solar Village were notified by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on August 9, 2024.

Model Solar Villages

• The primary objectives of the model solar villages are to facilitate access to clean and green energy in rural areas through rooftop solar systems and to reduce dependency on utilities. 

• The programme will also promote solar-based home lighting, water systems, agricultural pumps, and streetlights.

• In order to be considered a village under the competition mode, a village must be a revenue village with a population size above 5,000 (or 2,000 for special category states). 

• The selection process involves a competitive mode where villages are assessed on their overall distributed renewable energy capacity installed six months after the declaration of the potential candidate by District Level Committee (DLC).

• The winning village in each district, with the highest renewable energy capacity, will receive a central financial assistance grant of Rs 1 crore. 

• The implementation of this scheme will be done by state/UT Renewable Energy Development Agency under the supervision of District Level Committee (DLC), ensuring that selected villages transition effectively to solar-powered communities, serving as models for other villages across the country.

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana

• The government of India approved the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana on February 29, 2024, with the aim to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity. 

• The scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27.

• Under the scheme, households will be provided with a subsidy to install solar panels on their roofs. 

• The subsidy will cover up to 40 per cent of the cost of the solar panels. 

• The scheme is expected to benefit 1 crore households across India. 

• It is estimated that the scheme will save the government Rs  75,000 crore per year in electricity costs.

The benefits of the scheme include:

• Free electricity for households.

• Reduced electricity costs for the government.

• Increased use of renewable energy.

• Reduced carbon emissions.

Eligibility

• The applicant must be an Indian citizen. 

• Must own a house with a roof that is suitable for installing solar panels.  

• The household must have a valid electricity connection.

• The household must not have availed of any other subsidy for solar panels.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)