Himachal: Model solar villages will be developed in every district

Himachal Pradesh: Under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, one village in every district will be developed as an ideal solar village. The first meeting of the District Level Coordination Committee (DLCC), notified by the government to review the implementation of the scheme in Kangra district, was held yesterday under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa. In the meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, the expansion of the project in the district under the scheme was discussed. Bairwa said that under the scheme, one village in the district will be identified and developed as a solar energy village. He said that the process of selection of ideal solar energy village is being started in Kangra district. He said that villages with a population of 2000 or more and the highest participation in the use of non-conventional energy will be eligible to apply under this scheme. The government will sanction Rs 1 crore for the development of such ideal solar energy villages and expansion of green energy in the villages. The list of eligible villages of Kangra district has been made available to Kangra, Dehra and Dalhousie divisions of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited for selection. The Deputy Commissioner said that the Adarsh ​​Solar Village Implementation Agency nominated by the government will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the selected Adarsh ​​Solar Village and work on it to convert the village into a solar powered village.

He said that this scheme will be implemented effectively in Kangra district so that the targets can be achieved and the progress made in its implementation will be reviewed on a regular basis. Bairwa said that under this scheme, there is a subsidy facility from the government on grid connected rooftop solar power plants of capacity up to 3 kW for domestic electricity consumers. He said that there is a subsidy facility of 60 percent of the benchmark cost i.e. Rs 33,000 per kW for up to 2 kW capacity and 40 percent of the benchmark cost i.e. Rs 19,800 for additional 1 kW. He said that people can avail the scheme by registering themselves on the portal. Himurja Project Officer and DLCC Member Secretary Ramesh Thakur said that this scheme is being implemented by Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited, while the government has notified Himurja as the nodal agency to review its implementation. He said that the main components of the scheme include central financial assistance (CFA) for domestic electricity consumers, solar energy saturation in government buildings, incentives for the promotion of local bodies and development of Adarsh ​​​​Urja Gram. Bairwa said that under the scheme, the target is to install one crore grid-connected solar power plants on the roofs of one crore domestic electricity consumers in the country by March 31, 2027, for which the Central Government has made a provision of Rs 75,021 crore.