J&K solarisation: 5,400 houses receiving 'zero' power bills; target to cover 83,500 houses

Jammu, Nov 12 (PTI) Over 13,600 rooftop solar systems have been installed in Jammu and Kashmir, with more than 5,400 households receiving "zero electricity bills’, officials said on Wednesday, adding that a target has been set to cover 83,500 households in the Union territory.

This was revealed at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to review the progress of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana across Jammu and Kashmir.

“As many as 5,413 consumers under the scheme have already received zero electricity bills, reflecting tangible progress on the ground,” a senior official said.

The Managing Director of Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited, Gurpal Singh, said the Union Territory (UT) has set a target of covering 83,500 households under the scheme.

He added that 76,000 applications have been received, of which 37,500 consumers have selected vendors, and 17,151 have signed agreements.

“As many as 13,615 rooftop solar systems have been installed, and Central Financial Assistance amounting to Rs 96.68 crore has been released in favour of 11,297 beneficiaries,” he added.

Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Secretary, Science and Technology Department, said at the meeting that the UT has made notable strides in the solarisation of government infrastructure, with 6,716 buildings already solarised out of the 22,494 proposed, achieving a total installed capacity of 64.67 MW.

He said under the 70 MW rooftop solar project, work orders for 47.45 MW capacity covering 4,338 buildings have been issued. “Material delivery has been completed at 2,806 sites (35.88 MW), while 1,987 sites (25.50 MW) have been fully installed. An additional 5 MW capacity is currently in transit and expected to be delivered by November 30,” he added.

Dulloo underscored the importance of the scheme in transforming the energy landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, noting that as an energy-deficient region, it stands to benefit immensely from the adoption of clean and reliable solar power.

He called upon the divisional and district administrations to ensure smooth and time-bound implementation of the scheme in every district.

Emphasising public outreach, the chief secretary directed both power distribution companies (Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited and Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited) to educate citizens about the multiple benefits of the scheme, assist consumers in vendor selection, and facilitate speedy installations.

He further stressed robust monitoring and regular evaluation of district-level progress to achieve the set targets. PTI AB PRK PRK