R Krishna Das
Raipur, August 31
S R Sonkar, a resident of Gokulpur at Dhamtari district in Chhattisgarh, has never imagined he will be paid for the electricity that he uses for his domestic consumption.
It may sound surreal, but he is earning from the energy, literally, from the solar power. Thanks to the Pradhan Mantri (PM) Surya Ghar Yojana coupled with the incentives from the Chhattisgarh government that has provided Sonkar an opportunity to earn extra with double subsidy.
Under the scheme, Sonkar installed a 3 KW solar panel system at the rooftop of his residence that housed 9 to 10 rooms. Earlier, the electricity bill used to be around Rs 2,000 every month, but now the bill has become zero. Not only this, now a credit of Rs 3,000 has been deposited with the local electricity department from the additional electricity generated by him through the solar panel.
“The total cost of the system was around Rs 1.85 lakh, in which a subsidy of Rs 78,000 was received from the Central Government and Rs 30,000 from the Chhattisgarh Government,” Sonkar said. The assistance made the scheme accessible to them. He does not have to pay any electricity bill even if he runs equipment like fans, bulbs and TV in the shop.
The Sonkar family thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai for the relief received from this scheme. He said that this scheme is not only helping financially but is also beneficial for the environment. The success of the Sonkar family has also inspired the people around.
The Scheme is now starting a new era in Chhattisgarh. The ambitious plan of the Central Government has now got the direct support of the Chhattisgarh State Government as well. The result is the benefit of double subsidy and a concrete step towards free electricity from half electricity. It will not only provide free electricity to homes, but will also bring an unprecedented reduction in the monthly expenditure of the common man. Along with this, a new opportunity to earn will also open up from the sale of additional electricity.
According to officials, the objective of the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana is to provide clean and free energy to every household by installing solar panels on the roofs of residential buildings across the country. Since its announcement in the year 2024, this scheme is being implemented all over India. Now the Chhattisgarh government has also added its share in this scheme, under which the state government is providing financial assistance from its own share in addition to the subsidy given by the Center. Subsequently, consumers will get the direct benefit of double subsidy.
Earlier, the central government used to give about 60 per cent subsidy to domestic consumers on installing solar panels under this scheme. The Chhattisgarh government is now providing subsidies to consumers by adding its share. For example, the cost of a normal 3 KW capacity solar system is around Rs 1.5 lakh, in which now the consumer will have to bear only Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 following the double subsidy.
Under the agreement between the Chhattisgarh government and banking institutions, consumers will now be able to get loan facilities for 10 years at a concessional interest rate of 6.5 per cent. This will reduce the monthly EMI drastically and so low that it can be even less than the current monthly electricity bill. This means that instead of paying electricity bill every month, the consumer will now pay EMI of the solar system and after a few years will enjoy free electricity for life.
The officials said if the electricity produced from solar energy is more than the consumption, the extra electricity can be sold to the Chhattisgarh power distribution companies through the grid. It will generate income for the consumer, which will not only enable him to recover his investment but will also develop a source of additional income. Consumers installing plants of 2 kW or more capacity can generate more than 200 units of electricity per month for 25 years, which is more than the maximum discount (200 units discount on 400 units) available under the Half Electricity Scheme. Such consumers can not only get rid of electricity expenses by using electricity produced from solar energy in their house, but can also earn income by transmitting the extra electricity into the grid.
The Chhattisgarh government has made a reasonable amendment in the monthly discount limit of 400 units given under the Half Electricity Bill Scheme, which provides relief to domestic consumers, and has now decided to give a 50 percent discount on monthly consumption up to 100 units.
At present, there are about 45 lakh domestic consumer families in the state, out of which 31 lakh families have monthly consumption of less than 100 units. This represents about 70 percent of the consumers. Therefore, despite this amendment, these 31 lakh needy general and weaker section consumers will continue to get the benefits of the scheme as before. These 31 lakh families also include 15 lakh BPL (below poverty line) families, who will continue to get free electricity up to 30 units as before. Along with this, they will also continue to benefit from all other benefits under the Half Electricity Bill Scheme.
