PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY), the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar initiative, has achieved a significant milestone by completing 10.09 lakh installations across the country as of 10th March 2025. This ambitious scheme, launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 13th February 2024, aims to provide free electricity through rooftop solar systems to 1 crore residential households and reduce dependence on conventional power sources while enabling citizens to become energy producers. The scheme enables every household to contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing carbon emissions equivalent to planting 100 trees.

Empowering Households with Subsidies and Incentives

The scheme, implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has received 47.3 lakh applications. 6.13 lakh beneficiaries have successfully received subsidies, amounting to ₹ 4,770 crore. With a fully automated application, vendor selection and subsidy redeem process through www.pmsuryaghar.gov.in subsidies get credited to applicants’ bank accounts within 15 days.

Under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's leadership, a key feature of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is the provision of collateral-free loans through 12 Public Sector Banks (PSBs) at a subsidized interest rate of 6.75% for loans up to Rs. 2 lakhs, making rooftop solar installations more accessible to the masses. With the easy loan facility, a 3 KW rooftop solar system could be installed with an investment as low as ₹15,000/- giving returns up to ₹15 lakh in 25 years. Loan application process is also fully automated and online. So far, 3.10 lakh loan applications have been received, with 1.58 lakh loans sanctioned and 1.28 lakh disbursed, ensuring wider accessibility for potential beneficiaries. Beneficiaries receive subsidy of upto ₹78000 for upto 3KW rooftop solar system, significantly reducing installation costs.

Remarkable Progress Across Several States

The scheme has seen remarkable progress across several states. Notably, Chandigarh and Daman & Diu have achieved 100% of their government building rooftop solar targets, leading the nation in clean energy adoption. States like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu are also performing exceptionally well, contributing significantly to the overall installation figures. The Government is actively monitoring the progress across all states to ensure the smooth and timely execution of the scheme, with the goal of reaching 1 crore households by 2026-27.

Driving India’s Rooftop Solar Sector

The scheme has a total outlay of ₹75,021 crore. To facilitate easy financing, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Shri Pralhad Joshi recently held a meeting with top bankers at National Workshop on Mobilizing Finance for Renewable Energy in Mumbai, urging them to ensure the hassle-free disbursement of loans under the scheme. The discussions led to several key takeaways to unlock access to finance, including the need for lower-cost financing, innovative financing models, improved access to global climate funds, and enhanced risk-sharing mechanisms for new technologies. The meeting also underscored the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships and expanding green financial instruments to support India’s clean energy transition.

The Government is also extending the rooftop solar initiative to public infrastructure, promoting the installation of solar systems on Government buildings. This effort not only reduces operational energy costs but also serves as a model for the commercial and industrial sectors, encouraging a broader adoption of solar power across the country.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, aligned with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana supports domestic manufacturing by mandating the use of solar modules and cells produced in India. As of 10th March 2025, the scheme has facilitated the installation of over 3 GW of rooftop solar capacity, with an additional 27 GW targeted by March 2027. This initiative is also driving the local production of inverters and Balance of Plant (BoP) components, further strengthening India’s renewable energy ecosystem and enhancing the Make in India vision.

Under the guidance of Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi, MNRE has been working towards faster rollout, building infrastructure for rapid deployment, ensuring efficient subsidy disbursement, and conducting extensive awareness campaigns. The scheme continues to receive overwhelming support from the public and the Government, marking a transformative step toward a cleaner, greener, and energy-secure future for India.

India Achieves a Historic Milestone in Solar Energy! ☀️

Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, the @PMSuryaGhar Muft Bijli Yojana has empowered 10 lakh homes with solar energy, driving a new era of sustainability, affordability, and self-reliance.… pic.twitter.com/ON5Z679zDM

— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) March 11, 2025

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Navin Sreejith