Kendrapada: More than 1.64 lakh households in Odisha have benefited from rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY), with the Centre releasing Rs 746.67 crore in financial assistance as of Aug 7, Union minister of state for new and renewable energy and power Shripad Yesso Naik told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.Replying to a question by Bargarh MP Pradeep Purohit, the minister said 3,08,894 applications had been received under the scheme in Odisha since its launch in Feb 2024 and 1,63,811 rooftop solar (RTS) systems had been installed, covering 1,64,903 households.Naik said installation of rooftop solar systems on govt buildings is one of the components of the scheme. While detailed guidelines have been issued and central public sector enterprises have been assigned to assist ministries and states in implementing such projects, no central financial assistance is provided for government buildings, as rooftop solar installations are financially viable for them even without subsidies.The minister said a standard 1 kWp rooftop solar plant generates around 3-4 kWh of electricity on a normal sunny day, helping consumers significantly reduce power bills. According to data shared by Odisha discoms, over 37,678 beneficiaries recorded zero electricity bills during at least one billing cycle after installing rooftop solar systems under the scheme, depending on their power consumption patterns.Stating that the scheme is demand-driven and has no state-wise targets, Naik said the ministry has taken several measures to accelerate its implementation in Odisha, particularly in rural and aspirational districts.These include simplification of vendor registration norms to increase availability of qualified installers, waiver of technical feasibility requirements, and introduction of automatic load enhancement up to 10 kW. The minister added that net-metering agreements have been integrated into the National Portal, eliminating the need for separate agreements.The Centre has also rolled out capacity-building programmes for discom officials, regular reviews with states, discoms and banks, and regional monitoring meetings to track progress. Consumers can avail of collateral-free loans from nationalised banks at a concessional interest rate of repo rate plus 50 basis points, currently 5.75% per annum, with a tenure of up to 10 years, he said.Loan applications can be submitted through the National Portal, which is integrated with the Jan Samarth portal. The ministry has also established a grievance redressal mechanism and a multilingual call centre operating on 15555.To boost participation, the Centre is conducting awareness campaigns through newspapers, television, radio and other outreach programmes across the country, the minister added.
