Advertisement
What really powers the cloud? Behind every Google search, A...
A lot of what defines a home isn’t visible at handover. I...
Private equity has played a significant role in shaping Indi...
Luxury real estate is one of the most talked-about segments ...
Airports play a much bigger role than just enabling travel -...
The Centre's PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has surpassed 50.06 lakh rooftop solar installations across India, marking a significant milestone just over two years after its launch. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said the scheme, backed by an outlay of INR 75,021 crore, has accelerated rooftop solar adoption at an unprecedented pace, with installations now averaging one lakh households every six days. More than INR 28,024 crore in subsidies has been transferred directly to beneficiaries, while nearly 19 lakh households are receiving zero electricity bills. The programme has also expanded access to concessional financing, supported low-income households, generated employment across the solar value chain and increased rooftop solar capacity to 14.8 GW.
The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has crossed the milestone of 50.06 lakh rooftop solar installations across India, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced in the past week. The achievement comes just over two years after the launch of the Centre's flagship rooftop solar programme, which has an approved outlay of INR 75,021 crore and aims to expand household access to clean energy.
According to the ministry, the latest milestone represents a substantial acceleration in rooftop solar deployment compared with the previous decade, during which 7.94 lakh rooftop solar systems were installed nationwide. The ministry stated that the programme is now reaching one lakh households every six days, making it one of the fastest-growing rooftop solar initiatives globally.
The pace of installations has increased significantly over the past nine months, rising from 5,038 installations per day in October 2025 to nearly 16,328 installations per day in July 2026. During July alone, rooftop solar systems were installed in 5.06 lakh households, the highest monthly installation recorded since the scheme commenced.
To support implementation, the government has released INR 28,024 crore in subsidies directly to beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer mechanism. As a result, nearly 19 lakh households are now recording zero electricity bills. In addition, more than 12 lakh households collectively earned INR 421 crore during FY25 through the sale of surplus electricity to the grid, translating into an average annual income of around INR 3,500 per household exporting excess power.
The scheme has also expanded financing options through concessional loans carrying an interest rate of 5.75%, benchmarked at the Reserve Bank of India's repo rate plus 50 basis points. Loans have been sanctioned for 21.87 lakh applicants, while 17.5 lakh rooftop solar installations have already been completed using loan financing through paperless processing enabled by the Jan Samarth platform.
Under the Utility Led Aggregation model, around 1.6 lakh installations have been completed for beneficiaries under PMAY, below poverty line (BPL) and Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) households across four states. The model has also been approved for implementation in 12 states to improve access to rooftop solar for lower-income households while reducing states' electricity subsidy burden.
The programme has supported the development of a wider rooftop solar ecosystem, with 34,219 registered vendors, including 29,469 active vendors, operating across the country. More than 2.32 lakh individuals have received training under capacity-building programmes linked to the rooftop solar value chain, while cumulative commissioned rooftop solar capacity under the scheme has reached 14.8 GW.
The entire programme operates through an online platform supported by Jan Samarth integration for paperless loans, the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for subsidy disbursal within 15 days, application programming interface (API) integration with more than 80 distribution companies, digital net metering agreements and a vendor rating framework. The government has also introduced deemed approvals and feasibility waivers for rooftop solar systems of up to 10 kW, while 32 states and Union Territories have removed application and net metering charges.
The ministry further stated that INR 3,807.6 crore has been released as incentives to distribution companies and around INR 104 crore to urban local bodies. A City Accelerator Programme has been rolled out across 46 cities, supported by approximately 23,000 third-party quality inspections. Government building solarisation has also progressed, with 1.06 lakh central and state government buildings now equipped with rooftop solar systems, while a Payment Security Mechanism has been introduced to support renewable energy service company (RESCO) projects by reducing payment risks and ensuring timely payments.:::
Source - PTI
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
