CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR UPSC IAS

The Union Cabinet approved a rooftop solar scheme as 'PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana' to install rooftop solar panels across 10 million households with a total outlay of Rs 75,021 crore.

Key-details of the Scheme

• PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is a government scheme that aims to provide free electricity to households in India.
• Financial assistance: The scheme provides a Central Financial Assistance of 60 percent of system cost for 2 kW systems and 40 percent of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity.
• Beneficiaries of scheme will get free electricity of up to 300 units per month. Itcould result in savings of Rs 15,000-18,000 annually for households that install rooftop solar systems.
• National Portal: Households will apply for subsidy through the National Portal and will be able to select a suitable vendor for installing rooftop solar.
• Model village: Under the scheme, 'A Model Solar Village' will be developed in each district of the country to act as a role model for adoption of rooftop solar in rural areas.