SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, chaired a high-level meeting to review the implementation status of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana across J&K.
The meeting saw detailed deliberations on the progress of rooftop solar installations being carried out under the flagship scheme aimed at promoting clean energy and easing electricity expenses for households.
The meeting, besides Principal Secretary, PDD and Secretary, S&T Department was attended by Principal Secretary, Finance; Commissioner Secretary, I&C; Deputy Commissioners; MDs of JPDCL/KPDCL; CEO, JAKEDA; Chief Engineers of JPDCL/KPDCL and representatives from NHPC and other implementation agencies.
While taking stock of the current implementation, the Chief Secretary expressed concern over the slow pace of installations and called for immediate acceleration of efforts on the ground. He underscored the need for setting monthly targets, directing JPDCL and KPDCL to ensure at least 2,000 and 1,000 installations per month, respectively without fail.
Dulloo also instructed the power distribution companies to prioritize commissioning of the already installed systems to enable the beneficiaries to start availing the benefits at the earliest. He remarked that the delays in activating installed units defeat the very purpose of this scheme.
Emphasizing the importance of awareness among the public, the Chief Secretary urged the Power Development Department (PDD) to launch an aggressive Information, Education & Communication (IEC) campaign. He said that concerted efforts must be made to mobilise registered applicants, encouraging them of the long-term benefits of adopting this beneficiary-oriented scheme.
Earlier, Principal Secretary, PDD, Rajesh Prasad, briefed the meeting about the current status of this scheme and the roadmap of its implementation here. He acknowledged the initial lag in implementation but assured that the department is witnessing steady progress now. He also laid out strategic interventions being adopted to cut down the waiting time and fast-track installations for registered households.
He further revealed that the Government of India has set a national target of 1.0 crore households with no state or UT-specific targets and divulged that J&K has proactively set an ambitious proportionate target of 83,500 residential consumers to benefit from the scheme by March 31, 2027. This includes 39,500 consumers for JPDCL and 44,000 for KPDCL.
He further added that the progress is being rigorously monitored on a daily, fortnightly, and monthly basis at the district, divisional, and UT levels.
Regarding the key achievements registered as on July 24, 2025 it was given out that a total of 8,046 RTS installations with a cumulative capacity of around 30.07 MW had been completed so far.
Moreover, about the benefits accruing to the consumers it was revealed that a Central subsidy of Rs 50.78 Cr and UT subsidy of Rs 2 Cr had been credited to the consumers in J&K. It was added that 64,080 consumer applications had been received on the portal from the consumers across the districts of the UT for whom 582 vendors are available to install the RTS here.
Regarding the loan disbursals from banks for PM Surya Ghar Scheme, it was revealed that 3,293 cases in favour of JPDCL consumers had been disbursed amounting to Rs 5690.15 Lacs and for KPDCL consumers ,2,441 cases, totaling Rs 4653.54 Lacs stands disbursed.
On the outreaching to public through IEC campaigns the meeting was apprised that nearly 34.87 lakh consumers had been reached via bulk SMS and 525 IEC campaigns by JPDCL and 410 by KPDCL had been organized in their respective jurisdictions to create awareness among public. TV and radio commercials, social media outreach, and testimonial videos were circulated widely besides running the print & outdoor promotion for large scale awareness about the scheme.
The meeting was also informed that special help desks are established for grievance redressal, resolving 449 consumer and 429 vendor issues for JPDCL, and 406 consumer grievances for KPDCL.
Regarding the solarisation of Government buildings, the Secretary, S&T, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary revealed that a total of 22,494 government buildings have been identified for solarization out of which, 12,994 buildings are being covered under the CAPEX mode, while 9,500 buildings are being implemented through RESCO mode by NHPC and JAKEDA.
While giving out the updated status of this scheme, the Secretary informed that as of July 21, 2025, solar power systems have been installed on 5,331 buildings, with a cumulative installed capacity of 48.84 MW under the CAPEX mode. Furthermore, a capacity of 54 MW has been allocated to vendors for survey out of the total proposed 70 MW.
It was added by CEO, JAKEDA, PN Dhar that work orders have been placed for 3,809 more buildings, covering a capacity of 37.6 MW. Material has already been delivered to sites equivalent to 18 MW, with installation completed at 602 sites, amounting to 9.4 MW. Currently, 685 additional sites are under active installation, he added.
The Chief Secretary emphasized the need to further accelerate the implementation pace and directed the concerned departments and vendors to remove bottlenecks and expedite completion of ongoing installations to meet the energy sustainability targets within the set timeline.
