The central government's PM Surya Ghar Yojana is being discussed everywhere these days. This is because the free electricity scheme has reached a major milestone. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, under this scheme, more than 50.06 lakh families have installed solar panels on their rooftops. In just two years, this scheme has achieved record progress, breaking all previous records.

The central government has approved a budget of ₹75,021 crore for this scheme. Significantly, in the 10 years before the scheme's launch, only 7.94 lakh rooftop solar connections were installed. Now, 100,000 new families are participating in the scheme every six days.

The biggest benefit of this scheme is that the electricity bills of 1.9 million families have now dropped to zero. The government has deposited more than ₹28,024 crore into the accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Apart from this, the families who generated more electricity than their requirement, have also earned extra income by selling that electricity to the grid. In the financial year 2024-25, more than 12 lakh families earned a total of Rs 421 crore. Each family earned an average extra income of Rs 3500 annually. PMAY, BPL and SC/ST category families are also benefiting a lot from this scheme. Loan facility has also been provided at low interest rate. Till now, loans have been sanctioned to 21.87 lakh applicants at an interest rate of 5.75 percent.

The entire scheme process is online and digital, simplifying application, net metering, loan sanction, and subsidy. Many states have also waived application fees and net-metering fees. This initiative is significantly promoting solar energy in the country and creating new employment opportunities. Thousands of registered vendors, trained technicians, and the installation of solar panels on government buildings are also progressing rapidly.

PC: India TV