India's solar rooftop scheme reaches 50 lakh households with free electricity

The Prime Minister Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has emerged as one of India's most widely adopted renewable energy initiatives since its launch eight months ago. The scheme, introduced by the Modi government in February 2024, aims to provide free electricity to residential consumers through distributed solar generation.

According to government data, more than 50 lakh households have already enrolled in the programme, significantly exceeding initial projections for the scheme's first phase. The initiative offers subsidies of up to ₹98,000 per installation, substantially reducing the financial burden on households seeking to transition to solar energy.

Under the scheme's framework, participating households can generate up to 300 units of free electricity monthly, with the potential to eliminate their monthly electricity bills entirely. Beneficiaries are also eligible to sell excess power generated back to the grid, creating an additional revenue stream.

The programme reflects India's broader commitment to renewable energy expansion and household-level decentralization of power generation. By combining subsidies with grid integration provisions, the initiative addresses both affordability concerns and energy security objectives across the residential sector.