Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the launch of the ambitious 'PM Surya Ghar: 'Muft Bijli Yojana', a move aimed at promoting solar power and sustainable development. This scheme aims to light up one crore households by providing up to 300 units of free electricity every month, with an investment of over ₹75,000 crore.

"In order to further sustainable development and people's wellbeing, we are launching the PM Surya Ghar: 'Muft Bijli Yojana.' This project, with an investment of over ₹75,000 crore, aims to light up 1 crore households by providing up to 300 units of free electricity every month," Prime Minister Modi tweeted on X.

The scheme, which was earlier announced during the Interim Budget 2024-25 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will offer major subsidies that will be directly deposited into people's bank accounts and provide heavily concessional bank loans, ensuring no financial burden on the beneficiaries. To streamline the process, all stakeholders will be integrated into a National Online Portal.

In a bid to ensure grassroots engagement, urban local bodies and panchayats will receive incentives to promote rooftop solar systems in their respective areas.

Applying for the PM Surya Ghar: 'Muft Bijli Yojana ' is simple and accessible to all. Individuals can visit the official website at https://pmsuryaghar.gov.in and follow these steps:

  1. Register on the portal by selecting your State, electricity distribution company, and providing your electricity consumer number, mobile number, and email.
  2. Log in with your consumer number and mobile number, then proceed to apply for rooftop solar using the provided form.
  3. Await feasibility approval, after which the installation will be carried out by registered vendors in DISCOM.
  4. Upon installation completion, submit plant details and apply for a net meter.
  5. Generate a commissioning certificate via the portal after net meter installation and DISCOM inspection.
  6. Provide bank account details and a cancelled cheque through the portal.
  7. Receive the subsidy in your bank account within 30 days.

Prime Minister Modi's announcement of the solar power scheme follows closely after the recent inauguration of the Ram Mandir. According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) release dated January 22, 2024, immediately following his visit to Ayodhya, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting to launch the "Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana" with the goal of installing rooftop solar on 1 crore houses.

This scheme will support the government's earlier efforts such as the Rooftop Solar Programme in 2014, which aimed to achieve a total installed capacity of 40,000 megawatts (MW) by 2022, empowering households to harness solar energy and reduce their electricity bills, thereby making them truly aatmanirbhar.

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