Centre likely to foot bill for PM rooftop solar scheme

• As part of a renewed thrust to increase adoption of household rooftop solar systems (h-RTS) through the Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana
• The Centre is likely to bear the entire cost of setting up such systems for households that consume less than 300 units of electricity a month.

Key Highlights

• This could potentially cost at least ₹1 lakh crore, and in a departure from the existing approach to h-RTS
• It will see Union government companies — as opposed to the current set-up of individual State-run power distribution companies — taking up the responsibility of powering beneficiary households.

Hassle-free installation

• For implementation, public sector units of the Power Ministry such as the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) will be charged with identifying households that consume less than 300 units a month in States.
• This won’t be challenging as about 85% of Indian households, on average, use 100 to 120 units a month.
• This done, they will install RTS with eligible householders having to pay effectively nothing.

Prelims Takeaway

• National Thermal Power Corporation
• Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana