50 lakh households now covered under PM Surya Ghar scheme, says Centre

The Centre's flagship PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has crossed a major milestone, with more than 50.06 lakh households across India now benefiting from rooftop solar installations.The target has been achieved in just over two years since the scheme's launch, marking a sharp acceleration in India's clean energy transition, according to the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE).The ministry said the scheme, launched with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore, is now adding one lakh beneficiary households every six days, making it one of the fastest-growing rooftop solar programmes globally.The achievement compares with 7.94 lakh rooftop solar installations recorded over the previous 10 years.Installations gather pace, July sets new monthly recordThe ministry said the pace of installations has increased 3.2 times over the past nine months, rising from 5,038 installations per day in October 2025 to nearly 16,328 per day in July 2026.July 2026 alone recorded rooftop solar installations in 5.06 lakh households, the highest monthly figure since the scheme was launched.The government said 14.8 GW of rooftop solar capacity has been commissioned under the programme so far.Subsidies, zero bills and extra income for householdsTo support the scheme, the government has released Rs 28,024 crore in subsidies directly to beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism.According to the ministry, nearly 19 lakh households are now receiving zero electricity bills, reducing household energy costs significantly.In addition, more than 12 lakh households collectively earned Rs 421 crore in FY 2024-25 by selling surplus electricity back to the grid.

This translates into an additional annual income of around Rs 3,500 per household for those exporting power.Focus on low-income families and affordable financingThe ministry said the scheme has expanded access to rooftop solar for economically weaker sections through the Utility Led Aggregation model.Under this initiative, 1.6 lakh rooftop solar installations have been completed for PMAY, BPL and SC/ST households across four states, while the model has been approved for rollout in 12 states.To make installations more affordable, concessional loans at 5.75 per cent, benchmarked to the repo rate plus 50 basis points, have been sanctioned to 21.87 lakh applicants.

Of these, 17.5 lakh installations have already been completed through loan financing.Digital platform, vendor network and job creationThe ministry said the scheme is implemented entirely through an online platform, integrating Jan Samarth for paperless loans, the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for subsidy disbursal within 15 days, and API integration with over 80 power distribution companies (Discoms) for seamless processing.A Digital Net Metering Agreement, vendor rating framework and integration with the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) portal have also been introduced to improve transparency and ensure compliance.The programme has helped build a nationwide rooftop solar ecosystem, with 34,219 registered vendors, including 29,469 active vendors, while over 2.32 lakh people have been trained under capacity-building initiatives supporting the solar value chain.Additionally, 32 states and Union Territories have removed application and net-metering charges for rooftop solar systems, and the Centre has introduced deemed approvals and feasibility waivers for systems of up to 10 kW, according to the ministry.Government buildings also join solar pushThe rooftop solar programme has also expanded across government infrastructure.According to the ministry, 1.06 lakh government buildings have been solarised so far.Of these, 25,255 Central government buildings, with a combined capacity of 872 MW, have been solarised out of 41,542 identified buildings.

At the state level, 81,329 government buildings, with a capacity of 1,450 MW, have been covered out of around 3.2 lakh identified buildings.The ministry also said Rs 3,807.6 crore has been released as incentives to Discoms and around Rs 104 crore to Urban Local Bodies.A City Accelerator Programme has been launched across 46 cities, while around 23,000 third-party quality inspections have been conducted under the vendor accountability framework.The government said the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is strengthening India's push towards decentralised clean energy while advancing the goals of energy security, lower electricity costs and greater household participation in renewable energy.Ready to Make a Smarter Property Decision?

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