Gandhinagar: Gujarat is set to make rooftop solar more affordable for low- and middle-income families. The state govt will spend around Rs 1,000 crore under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana to subsidise systems of up to 2kW for more than 3 lakh households. The move will bring down the beneficiary contribution to 10% for general category consumers and 5% for scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) consumers.The state cabinet, chaired by chief minister Bhupendra Patel, approved the subsidy on Wednesday.The state govt will bear the remaining cost after accounting for the central subsidy and the beneficiary’s contribution, spokesperson minister Jitu Vaghani said in Gandhinagar. The move is aimed at making rooftop solar more affordable and reducing dependence on conventional electricity.For a 1kW system costing Rs 54,000, a general category household will now pay Rs 5,400, while an SC or ST household will contribute Rs 2,700. The Centre will provide a subsidy of Rs 32,400, and the state will cover the balance.For a 2kW system costing Rs 1,07,200, general category consumers will contribute Rs 10,720, and SC and ST consumers will contribute Rs 5,360. The central subsidy for the system is Rs 62,800, with the state govt paying the remaining amount.Earlier, households had to pay Rs 21,600 for a 1kW system and Rs 44,400 for a 2kW system after receiving the central subsidy.Vaghani said Gujarat has emerged as the country’s leading state in rooftop solar installations, with more than 8.5 lakh households having installed such systems.
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