PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana: Features, Impacts, Benefits, And How To Apply

In a major good news to get 300 units of electricity free every month for 1 crore households, the Union Cabinet has approved PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana with a total outlay of Rs 75,021 crore for installing rooftop solar. The scheme was launched on February 13 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Here are the highlights of the scheme:

Features:

Firstly, the scheme provides a CFA of 60% of system cost for 2 kW systems and 40% of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity. The CFA will be capped at 3 kW. At current benchmark prices, this will mean Rs 30,000 subsidy for 1 kW system, Rs 60,000 for 2 kW systems and Rs 78,000 for 3 kW systems or higher.

Secondly, the households will apply for subsidy through the National Portal and will be able to select a suitable vendor for installing rooftop solar. The National Portal will assist the households in their decision-making process by providing relevant information such as appropriate system sizes, benefits calculator, vendor rating etc.

Thirdly, households will be able to access collateral-free low-interest loan products of around 7% at present for installation of residential RTS systems up to 3 kW.

Also, a Model Solar Village will be developed in each district of the country to act as a role model for adoption of rooftop solar in rural areas,

Further, Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions shall also benefit from incentives for promoting RTS installations in their areas.

Apart from this, the scheme provides a component for payment security for renewable energy service company (RESCO) based models as well as a fund for innovative projects in RTS.

Impact:

1. Through this scheme, the households will be able to save electricity bills as well as earn additional income through the sale of surplus power to DISCOMs. A 3 kW system will be able to generate more than 300 units a month on average for a household.

2. The proposed scheme will result in the addition of 30 GW of solar capacity through rooftop solar in the residential sector, generating 1000 BUs of electricity and resulting in a reduction of 720 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions over the 25-year lifetime of rooftop systems.

3. It is estimated that the scheme will create around 17 lakh direct jobs in manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, sales, installation, O&M and other services.

Benefits:

The Government has launched a massive campaign since the launch of the scheme for raising awareness and generating applications from interested households. Households can register themselves on https://pmsuryaghar.gov.in to avail of benefits under the scheme.