Parliament Panel Doubts MNRE Can Meet PM Surya Ghar Target
POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Parliament Panel Doubts MNRE Can Meet PM Surya Ghar Target

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) faces significant challenges in meeting the FY 2025-26 target of installing 3.5 million rooftop solar systems under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, as highlighted by the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Energy.

Current installation numbers remain low, with only 905,000 households benefiting from the program so far, and 600,000 receiving subsidies. The target for FY 2025-26 is four times the number of installations achieved to date, raising concerns about the feasibility of achieving the goal at the current pace.

As of February 25, 2025, approximately 17.2 million registrations and 4.56 million applications have been submitted through the national portal for rooftop solar. To boost adoption, the committee has recommended that the ministry enhance awareness campaigns in local languages and strictly enforce the operation and maintenance requirements.

Delays have also been observed in the Green Energy Corridor projects. The first phase encountered right-of-way issues, while the third phase is expected to be rolled out by FY 2026.

Budget utilization by the MNRE has been consistently below the allocated amount since 2020. In FY 2023 and 2024, only 82 per cent and 83 per cent of the total budget was utilised, respectively. As of February 2, 2025, 68 per cent of the allocated budget for the current fiscal year had been spent. Since FY 2021, MNRE has surrendered Rs 76.56 billion due to non-utilisation of funds.

To support farmers, the ministry has exempted states from contributing to the subsidy under PM KUSUM and integrated the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund into Component A of the program, allowing loans at a 6 per cent interest rate.

The recent Union Budget has revised allocations for key energy initiatives. The total budget for the solar sector increased from Rs 150.61 billion to Rs 242.24 billion, while funding for the National Green Hydrogen Mission was doubled from Rs 3 billion to Rs 6 billion.

News source: Mercom India

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) faces significant challenges in meeting the FY 2025-26 target of installing 3.5 million rooftop solar systems under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, as highlighted by the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Energy. Current installation numbers remain low, with only 905,000 households benefiting from the program so far, and 600,000 receiving subsidies. The target for FY 2025-26 is four times the number of installations achieved to date, raising concerns about the feasibility of achieving the goal at the current pace. As of February 25, 2025, approximately 17.2 million registrations and 4.56 million applications have been submitted through the national portal for rooftop solar. To boost adoption, the committee has recommended that the ministry enhance awareness campaigns in local languages and strictly enforce the operation and maintenance requirements. Delays have also been observed in the Green Energy Corridor projects. The first phase encountered right-of-way issues, while the third phase is expected to be rolled out by FY 2026. Budget utilization by the MNRE has been consistently below the allocated amount since 2020. In FY 2023 and 2024, only 82 per cent and 83 per cent of the total budget was utilised, respectively. As of February 2, 2025, 68 per cent of the allocated budget for the current fiscal year had been spent. Since FY 2021, MNRE has surrendered Rs 76.56 billion due to non-utilisation of funds. To support farmers, the ministry has exempted states from contributing to the subsidy under PM KUSUM and integrated the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund into Component A of the program, allowing loans at a 6 per cent interest rate. The recent Union Budget has revised allocations for key energy initiatives. The total budget for the solar sector increased from Rs 150.61 billion to Rs 242.24 billion, while funding for the National Green Hydrogen Mission was doubled from Rs 3 billion to Rs 6 billion. News source: Mercom India

Next Story
Equipment

Handling concrete better

Efficiently handling the transportation and placement of concrete is essential to help maintain the quality of construction, meet project timelines by minimising downtimes, and reduce costs – by 5 to 15 per cent, according to Sandeep Jain, Director, Arkade Developers. CW explores what the efficient handling of concrete entails.Select wellFirst, a word on choosing the right equipment, such as a mixer with a capacity aligned to the volume required onsite, from Vaibhav Kulkarni, Concrete Expert. “An overly large mixer will increase the idle time (and cost), while one that ..

Next Story
Real Estate

Elevated floors!

Raised access flooring, also called false flooring, is a less common interiors feature than false ceilings, but it has as many uses – if not more.A raised floor is a modular panel installed above the structural floor. The space beneath the raised flooring is typically used to accommodate utilities such as electrical cables, plumbing and HVAC systems. And so, raised flooring is usually associated with buildings with heavy cabling and precise air distribution needs, such as data centres.That said, CW interacted with designers and architects and discovered that false flooring can come in handy ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

The Variation Challenge

A variation or change in scope clause is defined in construction contracts to take care of situations arising from change in the defined scope of work. Such changes may arise due to factors such as additions or deletions in the scope of work, modifications in the type, grade or specifications of materials, alterations in specifications or drawings, and acts or omissions of other contractors. Further, ineffective planning, inadequate investigations or surveys and requests from the employer or those within the project’s area of influence can contribute to changes in the scope of work. Ext..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?