AP seeks centre’s aid to extend PM Surya Ghar Scheme to 9.24 lakh BC families
Visakhapatnam, Nov 13 (TNT) : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday urged the Centre to extend the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana to 9,24,069 Backward Class (BC) families in the state, seeking Rs 5,544 crore in Central financial assistance for the proposed first phase.
In a letter submitted to Union Minister Prahlad Joshi at the CII Partnership Summit here, Naidu sought approval of the detailed project reports and sanction of the required funds for installing rooftop solar systems with a cumulative capacity of 1,848 MW.
The state government has proposed to provide an additional subsidy of Rs 20,000 to each eligible BC family, over and above the Central assistance.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 7,392 crore, including Rs 5,544 crore from the Centre and Rs 1,848 crore from the state government. The remaining project cost would be mobilised through institutional loans.
The proposed funding arrangement is intended to enable beneficiary families to access rooftop solar facilities without any upfront financial burden.
The Chief Minister said the detailed project reports had been submitted to the Centre on September 8 and urged the Union Minister to approve the proposal and extend the scheme to all eligible BC households.
He also informed that rooftop solar systems had already been installed in 4,56,235 households in Andhra Pradesh.
The state ranked fourth in the country in rooftop solar installations as of October 13, he added.
