PM Surya Ghar scheme set to hit 75 lakh rooftop solar homes by December: Pralhad Joshi

New & Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday exuded confidence that India will achieve 75 lakh rooftop solar power households under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana by December, up from 41 lakh at present.

The government had rolled out the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in February 2024 with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore for installing rooftop solar installations and providing free electricity of up to 300 units every month for one crore households.

The scheme provides a central financial assistance (CFA) of 60 per cent of the cost for 2 kW systems and 40 per cent of additional cost for systems between 2 and 3 kW capacity.

The CFA is capped at 3 kW. Beneficiaries under the scheme get Rs 30,000 subsidy for 1 kW system, Rs 60,000 for 2 kW systems, and Rs 78,000 for 3 kW systems or higher.

"PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is transforming India's energy landscape at an unprecedented pace. In two years, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana has crossed the milestone of 40 lakh solar-powered households. With over 65 lakh applications already in the pipeline and a target of 75 lakh homes in the next 7 months, the pace of adoption is truly unprecedented," Joshi said on social media platform X.

He stated that the biggest beneficiaries under the utility-led aggregation (ULA) implementation model will be poor and middle-income households, especially families consuming 1-3 KW of electricity.

The overwhelming response from citizens reflects the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making solar energy accessible to every household.

Earlier, the minister chaired a meeting with officials from several ministries and institutions to take stock of the progress of rooftop solar installations on government buildings.

"Happy to note that around 80 per cent of the installation target has been achieved. So far, 53,874 government buildings have been solarised, with a cumulative installed capacity of 855 MW," he said on X.

He has directed to ensure that the ministry and department shall designate a nodal officer to fast-track the implementation.

The minister highlighted the need to synergise data for a transparent and consolidated assessment, emphasised closer coordination among institutions, and directed all stakeholders to fast-track implementation.

Earlier, talking to reporters he said the scheme has crossed 41 lakh beneficiaries households in just two years.

"I am hopeful that by the end of 2026, we will cross 75 lakh households, with the ULA model expected to benefit undeserved households using 1-3 kW systems," he said.

He said rooftop installations have increased from about 7,000 per month before the scheme to over 3 lakh per month.

More than 17 lakh households have achieved zero electricity bills, demonstrating direct savings for families.

He also said beneficiary households have earned over Rs 421 crore by selling surplus solar power back to the grid.

May 2026 was the strongest month since the launch of the scheme, with a record 3.16 lakh rooftop solar installations in a single month and 15,000 added in just one day, he stated.

The pace of adoption has increased dramatically -- from 118 days to add one lakh households to less than eight days today.

More than Rs 22,750 crore in subsidies has been disbursed, including Rs 2,743 crore in May 2026 alone, he stated