NEW DELHI, October 13 — The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on Tuesday announced a major national transition milestone under the 'PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana', confirming that citizen registrations on the unified national rooftop portal have crossed 1.25 crore, with over 15 lakh residential rooftop solar installations fully energized.
According to data published by the central project monitoring unit, the ₹75,021 crore scheme provides a 60 percent capital subsidy (up to ₹60,000) for standard systems up to 2 kW capacity, alongside an additional ₹18,000 financial assistance for the 3rd kW, disbursed via direct benefit transfer (DBT) within 30 days of technical commissioning. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala lead national rooftop uptake, supported by collateral-free concessional loans under priority sector lending guidelines.
Government officials emphasized that each participating household secures up to 300 units of free clean electricity per billing cycle, feeding surplus units into the low-voltage distribution grid via bi-directional net-meters to earn recurring tariff credits from Discoms. The cumulative deployment is projected to abate 720 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over a 25-year lifecycle.
The policy architecture of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (approved by the Union Cabinet in February 2024 targeting 1 crore households), the technical difference between net-metering and gross-metering, India's COP26 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs) mandated under the Electricity Act 2003 are essential syllabus areas across UPSC Civil Services (GS-III: Renewable Energy & Sustainable Development) and State PSC exams.