Jammu and Kashmir's Palli village located in the Samba district, just 17KMs away from the winter capital Jammu is undergoing a massive transformation of sorts. Macadamized roads, electric bus service, upgraded government high school, and renovated panchayat ghar are some of the developmental projects undertaken but the one which stands as a highlight is the 500KV solar power project with a aim to make the village carbon neutral.

Work is going on a war footing to complete the project in a record time of 3 weeks. Once completed, the project will cover an area of 6408 square meters providing clean electricity to 340 houses under the Central Government's Gram Urja Swaraj program.

“A twenty-five member team is working round the clock to complete the Rs 2.75 crore project in the next couple of days before its formal inauguration by the prime minister during his visit to the village on April 24,” chairman and managing director, Central Electronics Limited ( the organization setting up the solar power plant), Chetan Prakash Jain said.

The power plant will be able to meet the requirement of 2000 units of electricity a day for the village. Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Anuradha Gupta has already distributed solar ‘chulhas’ (stoves) among the beneficiaries in the village which has over 450 houses. The rest of the houses will be covered in the next phase after the prime minister’s visit.

The residents of the village were upbeat about the developmental projects and the fact that the Prime Minister will inaugurate the same while addressing a gathering of over 30,000 Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members of J&K besides around 700 panchayats across the country virtually.

"With the inauguration of a 500 KW solar power plant at Palli in Samba District, it is moving towards becoming the country's first panchayat to become carbon neutral...The people of Palli have demonstrated what 'Sabka prayas' (everybody’s efforts) can do," said the prime minister in his address.

"It is a red letter day for us. With the blessing of Modi ji, the village has entered into the history of India as the first carbon neutral solar village. We thank the prime minister for choosing this hamlet across the country," Palli villager Gurdeep Singh said.

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