Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday that more than 19 lakh households across the country are now reporting zero electricity bills under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, marking a significant milestone for the government’s flagship rooftop solar initiative aimed at making household power consumption both affordable and sustainable.
In a social media post, Joshi said the scheme is empowering ordinary citizens while simultaneously accelerating India’s transition towards a clean and energy secure future. The minister’s remarks underline the scale at which the rooftop solar programme has begun reshaping household energy consumption patterns, particularly for lower and middle income families who have historically borne a heavy burden from rising electricity costs.
The Minister highlighted that the programme’s reach now extends well beyond individual homes, noting that more than 25,000 Central Government buildings and over 81,000 State Government buildings have been fitted with rooftop solar installations. This expansion into public infrastructure is seen as a critical component of the government’s broader renewable energy strategy, since institutional buildings typically consume large volumes of grid power throughout the year.
Launched with the objective of reducing dependence on conventional power sources while cutting household electricity expenditure, the PM Surya Ghar scheme provides financial assistance and subsidies to households willing to install rooftop solar panels. The zero bill outcome for over 19 lakh households suggests that a meaningful segment of beneficiaries have moved beyond merely reducing their consumption from the grid to generating enough solar power to cover their entire household needs.
Officials associated with the renewable energy sector have pointed out that such schemes carry a dual benefit, easing the financial pressure on households while simultaneously reducing the country’s overall carbon footprint. With India having committed to ambitious renewable energy targets on the global stage, the steady expansion of rooftop solar across residential and government buildings is being viewed as a tangible marker of progress towards those commitments.
The government has in recent years pushed several such flagship schemes aimed at expanding clean energy access across urban and rural India alike, with rooftop solar increasingly positioned as a cornerstone of the country’s decentralized energy strategy. The latest figures shared by Joshi are likely to be cited as evidence of the scheme’s growing traction as authorities continue efforts to scale up adoption across states and union territories in the months ahead.
