The new formula for free electricity in Rajasthan includes 1.04 crore consumers in the state. Out of these, 27 lakh consumers will have to install solar panels on the roof of their homes by themselves. These are the people who use more than 150 units of electricity every month.
Discoms will send ₹17,000 directly to their bank accounts as a subsidy for installing a 1.1-kilowatt capacity solar panel. Apart from this, they will also get a separate subsidy from the Central Government.
A plan has been prepared based on these rules in the proposed guidelines. Discoms consider people with high electricity use as capable and are planning to include them in the second phase of the scheme.
In the first phase, the goal is to include 1.04 crore electricity consumers. Out of these, the government is mainly focusing on 77 lakh consumers who use less than 150 units of electricity per month. These consumers will be given two options. Either Discoms will install the solar panels for them, or they can install the panels on their own.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has given in-principle approval to this Rajasthan government scheme, which is linked to the PM Suryaghar Yojana. Under this, the Central Government will give a maximum subsidy of ₹78,000 for solar panels of up to 3 kilowatts.
This is the New Formula for Free Electricity
Every household will be given a solar panel with a capacity of 1.1 kilowatts. The total cost of this panel is estimated to be around ₹50,000. Out of this, ₹33,000 will be given as a subsidy by the Central Government, and the remaining ₹17,000 will be provided by the State Government.
Where the Panels Will Be Installed
There are 77 lakh electricity consumers who use less than 150 units of electricity per month. The government thinks that many of these people may not have enough space on their rooftops to install solar panels. For such cases, solar plants will be installed on the rooftops of nearby GSS (Grid Sub-Stations) or government buildings.
The Burden of Free Electricity Will Be Reduced
Right now, the government is giving free electricity worth ₹6,200 crore to domestic consumers. The highest discount given per household is up to ₹562.50. All registered household consumers are included in this scheme. A few months ago, Union Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi visited Jaipur. During his visit, he raised concerns about state governments providing free electricity to consumers.