Parliament Watch: Faster rooftop solar rollout, stress test for I-T portal, faster smart meters

Strengthening portal infrastructure and data validation, as well as onboarding power distribution companies, are key to achieving the target of installing rooftop solar systems for one crore households under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, a parliamentary panel report said on Thursday. The scheme, launched in February 2024, aims to benefit one crore households with a saving of ₹75,000 crore annually by installing solar systems on their rooftops by March 2027. During the past two years, about 23.29 lakh rooftop solar installations were achieved against the target of 61 lakh, with 80% fund utilisation at ₹22,402.97 crore out of the revised allocation of ₹28,100 crore, as per the panel’s report on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s 2026-27 demands for grants.

House Panel Suggests Stress Test of Income Tax Portal

A Parliamentary panel on Thursday asked the Income Tax department to undertake ‘rigorous stress and load testing’ of its e-filing portal and the entire IT backbone to ensure that there are no glitches when the new Act is rolled out from April 1. The Income Tax department has informed the Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by BJP member Bhartruhari Mahtab, that out of the 190 forms to be notified under the new I-T Act, only 54 forms are expected to be ready by March 31, 2026. The remaining forms will be rolled out subsequently.

Push for Faster Smart Meters Installation

A parliamentary panel has urged the power ministry to undertake urgent measures to accelerate installation of smart meters in a structured and time-bound manner. The Eleventh Report of the Committee on ‘Demands for Grants (2026-27) of Ministry of Power’ was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.