Ahmedabad, Oct 21 The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced Rs 1,000 crore additional subsidy for rooftop solar installations, reducing the contribution required from general category beneficiaries to 10 per cent of the cost and from SC/ST members to five per cent under the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’.
The decision, taken at a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, is expected to directly benefit more than three lakh families, state government spokesperson Jitu Vaghani told reporters in Gandhinagar.
Under the revised subsidy structure, the state government will cover the remaining cost of rooftop solar systems of up to two kilowatts after accounting for the Centre’s assistance and the beneficiary’s contribution, he said.
For a one kW rooftop solar system costing Rs 54,000, the Centre provides a subsidy of Rs 32,400.
Under the new arrangement, general-category beneficiaries will pay Rs 5,400, while those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will contribute Rs 2,700 as the remaining cost will be covered under state government subsidy.
This means that general category beneficiaries will get an additional subsidy of Rs 16,200 from the state while households belonging to members from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities will get a relief of Rs 18,900.
Similarly, for a two kW system costing Rs 1,07,200, the central subsidy is Rs 62,800.
The beneficiary’s contribution will now be Rs 10,720 for general-category households and Rs 5,360 for SC/ST households.
The state government will bear the balance amount as an additional subsidy, according to the release.
The move aims to make rooftop solar installations more affordable for poor and middle-class families and expand the use of solar energy in the state.
According to the government, more than 14 lakh households in Gujarat have installed rooftop solar systems so far. Of these, over 8.5 lakh households have installed systems under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, placing Gujarat at the top nationally under the programme.
The government said rooftop solar installations were helping households reduce their electricity bills, with some families also earning income by generating surplus electricity.
(PTI News)
