Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi said on 4 November 2026 that the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana had developed into a mass movement, with approximately 100,000 rooftop solar installations being completed every six days. He said the programme had overcome several operational difficulties that slowed its initial implementation.

Joshi said the installation process had initially taken considerable time because of problems with the scheme’s portal and difficulties in identifying vendors. Coordinated efforts by the ministry and its implementation teams reduced the time required for every 100,000 installations to 44 days, before the pace increased further to the current level of six days.

The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024, but its implementation was delayed by the Model Code of Conduct during the Lok Sabha elections. It eventually began in June 2024, when there was uncertainty about public participation. Joshi attributed the subsequent acceleration to the Prime Minister’s appeal and the combined work of government teams, saying the pace could soon reach 100,000 installations every four or five days.

According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the programme is intended to provide rooftop solar power to 10 mn households by March 2027. Its projected milestones include more than 1 mn installations by March 2025, 2 mn by October 2025 and 4 mn by March 2026, followed by the overall target by March 2027.

Launched on 15 February 2024, the scheme provides subsidies of up to 40 per cent to make rooftop solar more affordable. The ministry said 630,000 installations had been completed in nine months, producing a monthly rate of 70,000, which was 10 times the pre-scheme average. The programme is also projected to save the government Rs. 750 bn annually in electricity costs while expanding household access to renewable energy.