Centre releases Rs 1.4 crore subsidy to solar consumers

Staff Reporter

Panaji

In a major relief to 346 rooftop solar consumers in Goa, the Union government has released Rs 1.4 crore as part of the long-pending central financial assistance under Phase 2 of the rooftop solar scheme. Union Minister of State for Power, New and Renewable Energy, Shripad Naik, made the announcement in Panaji on Wednesday.

“A total of Rs 3.58 crore had been pending under the scheme for a considerable period,” said Naik, adding that the financial assistance, which is routed through empanelled vendors, had been delayed due to certain discrepancies, causing concern among beneficiaries.

To address the issue, Naik said he convened meetings with all stakeholders in Goa and subsequently held high-level discussions with officials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in New Delhi.

He also acknowledged the efforts of Goa Power Minister Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar in resolving the matter.

Naik said that the earlier central rooftop solar scheme had been halted, which led to a disruption in subsidy disbursement. However, with the launch of the PM Suryagarh Scheme, the Centre aims to renew its push towards clean energy adoption.

He said nearly 500 consumers have already installed rooftop solar systems in Goa and added that the government is targeting to bring at least 50% of power consumers under the scheme in the state over the next year.

Awareness camps for both the PM Suryagarh scheme and the PM Kusum scheme—designed to provide solar pumps for agricultural use—will be held at the village panchayat level starting from May.