Bhagalpur: In a novel step to promote energy self-reliance, Bhagalpur DM Nawal Kishor Choudhary urged parents to gift rooftop solar plants to their daughters during the ‘bidaai’ ceremony.He was speaking at a weeklong solar fair organised to highlight the PM Surya Ghar – Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) and encourage households to adopt rooftop solar systems. Gifting such plants would also reduce the living costs of their daughters’ households, he said.PMSGMBY is a central govt scheme aimed at providing free electricity to households by offering subsidies for installing rooftop solar panels. The subsidy covers up to 40% of the installation cost. Launched in Feb 2024, the scheme targets at least one crore households across India and is expected to save Rs 75,000 crore annually in electricity costs.Talking on Thursday, Choudhary said households installing rooftop solar panels can get up to 300 units of free electricity every month. “This scheme aims to benefit one crores residential households by enabling them to generate their own electricity and thereby reducing reliance on the electricity grid besides in reducing their monthly electricity bills,” he said.He added subsidies are available up to Rs 30,000 for 1 kilowatt capacity, Rs 60,000 for 2 kilowatt and up to Rs 78,000 for 3 kilowatt capacity. All residents with permanent-roofed houses and electricity connections can apply. “This transformative initiative empowers millions to adopt clean renewable energy with sustainable development and energy innovation with reduced carbon emissions,” he said.Earlier, Choudhary held a meeting with senior bank officials to speed up loan approvals. Sources said 31 applicants have received sanction letters at the fair so far.The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy also plans to provide training in installation and maintenance of rooftop solar systems to ensure availability of skilled manpower.
