PM Surya Ghar in Jharkhand: The Centre’s flagship PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana launched to nudge rooftop solar adoption across India seems to be getting a slow response in Jharkhand with only 3,463 households opting for the scheme so far. This underwhelming participation has sparked worries particularly since the state has major rooftop solar capacity and central subsidies are also available for residential users.
What Is PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana?
Launched by the Central Government in 2024, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is meant to bring rooftop solar systems to one crore households all across India. Eligible residential consumers can get financial support for installing solar panels which in turn can cut electricity expenses while at the same time supporting cleaner energy.
Availability of collateral free loan from nationalized banks at concessional interest rate of repo-rate plus 50 bps i.e. 6% per annum for the present with tenure of 10 years. Included RESCO/ Utility led Aggregation (ULA) Models. Net metering agreement has been made part of application in the National Portal. Simplified process for registration of vendors to ensure sufficient and qualified vendors are available.
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Why Is Jharkhand Seeing Low Participation?
Energy experts and stakeholders point to several factors behind the limited uptake:
- People still seem not really aware about the scheme, the whole subsidy process and how it works.
- In some districts, certified installers also don’t participate as much as they should so it becomes a problem in practical rollout
Some folks still have to pay the upfront installation costs even when subsidy support is there.
- In certain cases there are delays during approvals, inspections or even for net-metering which then pushes timelines further back
- Renewable energy experts say Jharkhand has around six lakh households that have suitable electricity connections, and those households could possibly gain from rooftop solar.
PM Surya Ghar in Jharkhand
The Union government has been saying that the PM Surya Ghar scheme is demand-driven, and that it continues to grow strongly across the country. As per the latest official numbers, over 23.9 lakh households across India have benefited from rooftop solar installations under the programme and millions of applications have been coming in through the national portal.
In Jharkhand, implementation is coordinated by the Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA). They have been issuing tenders and also expanding the infrastructure so rooftop solar deployment can pick up pace gradually.
