Guidelines Issued For Muft Bijli Yojana

New Delhi, Aug 13 (KNN) The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has released operational guidelines for the implementation of the model solar village component under the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

This initiative, part of a larger scheme approved by the Government of India on February 29, 2024, aims to boost solar rooftop capacity and enable residential households to generate their own electricity.

The model solar village program, allocated Rs 800 crore, seeks to establish one exemplary solar-powered village per district across India.

Each selected village will receive Rs 1 crore in central financial assistance. This component emphasises promoting solar energy adoption and fostering energy self-reliance in rural communities.

Eligibility criteria for the program stipulate that candidate villages must be revenue villages with populations exceeding 5,000, or 2,000 for special category States.

The selection process employs a competitive model, evaluating villages based on their installed distributed renewable energy (RE) capacity six months after being declared potential candidates by the District Level Committee (DLC).

Implementation of the scheme will be overseen by State/UT Renewable Energy Development Agencies under DLC supervision.

The program aims to facilitate the transition of selected villages into solar-powered communities, serving as benchmarks for nationwide rural energy transformation.

The overarching PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, with a total outlay of Rs 75,021 crore, is scheduled for implementation through fiscal year 2027.

This comprehensive initiative underscores the government's commitment to expanding India's renewable energy portfolio and democratising access to clean power generation.

(KNN Bureau)