The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, December 12
Haryana Chief Secretary Dr. Vivek Joshi today presided over the State-Level Coordination Committee meeting to review the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.
During the meeting, it was informed that as of now, 9,609 rooftop solar systems of a combined capacity of 45.90 MW have been installed across the state. The government has disbursed ₹52.54 crore in subsidies to beneficiaries so far, further encouraging solar adoption.
Looking ahead, the state is focusing on equipping government buildings with solar power plants, with the Public Works Department (PWD) developing a centralized portal to streamline data management of government properties.
Site surveys for 3,011 buildings have been completed, identifying a potential solar power generation capacity of 91.78 MW so far.
The Department of New and Renewable Energy (NRE) has invited bids for an 8.4 MW grid-connected rooftop solar project under the CAPEX model. The government will also develop Model Solar Village in each district under the guidelines of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), which will showcase the transformative potential of solar power in rural areas.
The scheme aims to promote technologies like solar-based home lighting system in all households, solar-based water systems in the villages, solar pumps for agricultural purposes and the installation of solar street lights.
The Chief Secretary underlined that banks will have a significant contribution in achieving the goals of this scheme.
He directed officials to actively involve banks in this process for the smooth facilitation of loans to beneficiaries. The Chief Secretary was informed that Haryana has already trained over 2,700 students in ITIs with an industry-oriented curriculum for the installation of solar equipment.
Apart from this, the state has 100 ITI master trainers to further streamline the installation process at the ground level.The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana aims to provide free electricity to 1 crore households in India. Under this, Central Financial Assistance (CFA) is provided to domestic category electricity consumers.
In addition to this, State Financial Assistance (SFA) is being provided by Haryana Government to Antyodaya families on first come first serve basis.
The scheme aims to develop green and clean energy access in villages and empower village communities to become more self-reliant in meeting their energy needs, apart from saving money on electricity bills.
Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department AK Singh; Managing Director, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd, A. Sreenivas; Managing Director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd, Ashok Kumar Meena; Director General, Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency, Narayanan; and other senior officials were present in the meeting.