NEWS – Government of India Issues Operational Guidelines for ‘Model Solar Village’

OVERVIEW

– Scheme Guidelines notified by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 9th August 2024

– Component of PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana

– Aim: Promote solar energy adoption and enable village communities to become self-reliant in meeting their energy needs

Key Features

Financial Assistance

    – Total financial outlay: ₹800 crore

    – ₹1 crore per selected Model Solar Village

Eligibility Criteria

    – Revenue village with population size above 5,000 (or 2,000 for special category states)

Selection Process

    – Competitive mode

    – Villages assessed on overall distributed renewable energy (RE) capacity installed 6 months after declaration of potential candidate by District Level Committee (DLC)

Award

    – Winning village in each district receives central financial assistance grant of ₹1 crore

Implementation

Responsible Agencies

    – State/UT Renewable Energy Development Agency

    – District Level Committee (DLC)

Objective

    – Ensure selected villages transition effectively to solar-powered communities

    – Serve as models for other villages across the country

PM-SURYA GHAR: MUFT BIJLI YOJANA

Overview

    – Approved by Government of India on 29th February 2024

    – Aim: Increase share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity

Financial Outlay

    – ₹75,021 crore

Implementation Period

    – Till FY 2026-27