Pradhan Mantri – Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY)

Background

• The Pradhan Mantri–Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY) was launched in February 2024.
• It is a major government initiative for promoting rooftop solar (RTS) among residential electricity consumers.
• The scheme seeks to increase household-level solar power generation and enable households to meet a part of their electricity requirements through clean and renewable energy.

Nodal Ministry

• Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• The scheme is focused specifically on residential consumers installing rooftop solar systems.

Target

• The scheme aims to install rooftop solar systems in 1 crore households by March 2027.
• The target represents a significant expansion of distributed renewable-energy generation at the household level.

Central Financial Assistance (CFA)

• The scheme provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to eligible residential consumers for installation of rooftop solar systems.
• The financial support is intended to reduce the initial cost of installing rooftop solar.
• This makes rooftop solar more accessible to households that may otherwise find the upfront installation cost difficult to bear.

How the Scheme Helps Households

• Solar electricity generation: Households can generate electricity through rooftop solar panels.
• Lower electricity expenditure: Generation of electricity at the household level can reduce dependence on grid electricity.
• Renewable energy: It encourages greater use of solar energy instead of conventional sources.
• Energy participation: Households become not only consumers of electricity but also producers of renewable electricity.
• Clean-energy transition: It supports India’s broader transition towards renewable sources of energy.

Why Rooftop Solar is Important

• Decentralised generation: Electricity is generated closer to the point of consumption.
• Reduced dependence on conventional sources: Greater rooftop solar adoption can contribute to reducing dependence on conventional electricity generation.
• Household empowerment: It gives households greater participation in their own energy generation.
• Renewable-energy expansion: Rooftop solar can complement India’s larger utility-scale renewable-energy projects.

Prelims Practice Question – English

Q. With reference to the Pradhan Mantri–Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, consider the following statements:

1. The scheme focuses on promoting rooftop solar among residential households.
2. It aims to install rooftop solar systems in one crore households by March 2027.
3. The scheme provides Central Financial Assistance to eligible residential consumers.
4. The scheme is implemented under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (d)

Explanation

• Statement 1 — Correct: PM-SGMBY focuses on promoting rooftop solar in residential households.
• Statement 2 — Correct: The scheme has a target of installing rooftop solar systems in one crore households by March 2027.
• Statement 3 — Correct: Eligible residential consumers receive Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for rooftop solar installation.
• Statement 4 — Correct: The scheme is associated with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Therefore, all four statements are correct.