Nagpur: Nagpurians have played a vital part in the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) achieving its 100-day target of increasing the number of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSMBY) in just 82 days. More than 1.5 lakh beneficiaries opted for PMSMBY, with Nagpur topping the State, increasing the total power generation capacity to 500 MW.
According to MSEDCL Chairman and Managing Director Lokesh Chandra, it was one of the targets set in the first 100 days of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ govt, and it was achieved in 82 days.
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Monday 02 March 2025
Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister on December 5, 2024. After that, 100-day targets were set for various departments to be achieved by March 16, 2025. The total number of houses benefiting from PMSMBY in the State was 71,437 on December 6, 2024, and their total capacity was 283 MW. MSEDCL said that the target of increasing the total number of houses to 1.25 lakh and the total power generation capacity to 500 MW was set in the 100-day campaign.
“On February 26, the number of beneficiary houses of the scheme in the State reached 1,28,470, and the total capacity touched 500 MW. The 100-day target of this scheme was achieved in 82 days. Earlier, MSEDCL had fulfilled the 100-day target of increasing the number of solar agriculture pumps installed under Magel Tyala Saur Krishi Pump Yojana to more than 1.5 lakh in just 60 days,” said MSEDCL.
The discom also added that Nagpur district secured the first position in the State in taking advantage of PMSMBY. The number of beneficiary households in Nagpur has now reached 21,027. Nagpur is followed by districts such as Pune (9,875 houses), Jalgaon (9,489 houses), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (8,814 houses), Nashik (8,558 houses), Amravati (7,119 houses), Kolhapur (6,291 houses), Dhule (4,187 houses), and Solapur (4,007 houses).
Under the PMSMBY, electricity is generated by installing rooftop solar plants on houses. For this, the Central Government provides a subsidy of Rs 30,000 for one kilowatt, Rs 60,000 for two kilowatts, and Rs 78,000 for a three-kilowatt project, depending on the capacity of the rooftop solar project. The maximum subsidy is Rs 78,000. MSEDCL provides free net meters to beneficiaries. Since the rooftop solar power project generates more electricity than the household requirement, the electricity bill eventually becomes zero. The excess electricity generated is sold to MSEDCL.
