No new conditions for solar rooftop scheme

19 Nov 2024 CW Team

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday urged the Centre not to impose new conditions under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, as they would impact the scheme's feasibility. Additionally, should a Memorandum of Understanding be executed, then the targets might be finalised in concurrence with the Tamil Nadu government "so that they are practical and achievable," state Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said. The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year, aims to provide free electricity to households across India by subsidising the cost of installing solar panels on rooftops. In a memorandum submitted to the Union Power, and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal during the recent state power ministers conference in the national capital, Balaji in June 2024, the Ministry of Power introduced an additional requirement to sign an MoU under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana which requires the state to achieve targets set by the monitoring committee, despite these targets not being clearly defined. A release here said Balaji sought the REC and PFC (nodal agencies for Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme) to consider reducing the interest rate to 8 percent given the commitment shown by Tamil Nadu in improving the financial and operational performance of the state power utilities. He requested that approval for a Rs 3,246 crore proposal for System Modernisation, including the establishment of new substations and augmentation works, submitted to the Ministry of Power. The power generated from the offshore windmills may be given to Tamil Nadu through state connectivity instead of Central connectivity, he said. Declaring the Raigarh - Pugalur -Trissur ±800 kV, HVDC transmission system as assets of strategic and national importance and the tariff to be billed under the national component, waiver of transmission charges to the developers be withdrawn and also to grant General Network Access (GNA) to such consumers as per the provisions of Electricity Act 2003 after due approvals from state utility were the other demands.

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday urged the Centre not to impose new conditions under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, as they would impact the scheme's feasibility. Additionally, should a Memorandum of Understanding be executed, then the targets might be finalised in concurrence with the Tamil Nadu government so that they are practical and achievable, state Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji said. The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year, aims to provide free electricity to households across India by subsidising the cost of installing solar panels on rooftops. In a memorandum submitted to the Union Power, and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal during the recent state power ministers conference in the national capital, Balaji in June 2024, the Ministry of Power introduced an additional requirement to sign an MoU under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana which requires the state to achieve targets set by the monitoring committee, despite these targets not being clearly defined. A release here said Balaji sought the REC and PFC (nodal agencies for Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme) to consider reducing the interest rate to 8 percent given the commitment shown by Tamil Nadu in improving the financial and operational performance of the state power utilities. He requested that approval for a Rs 3,246 crore proposal for System Modernisation, including the establishment of new substations and augmentation works, submitted to the Ministry of Power. The power generated from the offshore windmills may be given to Tamil Nadu through state connectivity instead of Central connectivity, he said. Declaring the Raigarh - Pugalur -Trissur ±800 kV, HVDC transmission system as assets of strategic and national importance and the tariff to be billed under the national component, waiver of transmission charges to the developers be withdrawn and also to grant General Network Access (GNA) to such consumers as per the provisions of Electricity Act 2003 after due approvals from state utility were the other demands.

Infrastructure Transport

01 Jun 2026

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Infrastructure Urban

01 Jun 2026

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

Infrastructure Urban

01 Jun 2026

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..