PANAJI
The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has been relaunched in Goa after a temporary halt, but not before the State government was forced to return a significant portion of the earlier funds.
Of the Rs 3.58 crore sanctioned earlier by the Central government for the scheme, Rs 1.99 crore remained unutilised and had to be returned with interest.
Announcing the relaunch, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shripad Naik, said the scheme had been inactive for a while due to delays at the State level. “The PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana was stopped for some time. But now, after a meeting with Central officials and the State Power Minister, a solution has been reached and the scheme is being resumed,” he stated.
Naik informed that the Central government has now released a fresh first instalment of Rs 14,92,085 to the State, which will be disbursed to consumers in the form of subsidies for installing rooftop solar energy systems.
Appealing to Goans to take full advantage of the scheme, Naik highlighted the benefits: “The Central government provides a subsidy of Rs 78,000 along with a 30% subsidy from the State government. For an expenditure of Rs 1.80 lakh to Rs 2 lakh to install rooftop solar equipment for 3 KVA power, it is a profitable deal for consumers.”
He further added that consumers who generate more power than they use can feed the surplus back to the grid, earning credits or payments depending on the balance. If consumption exceeds generation, the difference will be billed.
To increase awareness, training camps will begin in May. Officials from the electricity department will visit every panchayat to educate the public and encourage applications.
Naik also announced that the PM Kusum Yojana for farmers, under which electricity, earlier available only after 1 am, will now be supported through solar pumps for daytime supply, replacing diesel pumps entirely.
Applications for the rooftop solar scheme are available online and through the electricity department offices.
