Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday, February 1, while presenting the interim Union budget for 2024 to 2025, that in an attempt to turn households into power generating units, the Union government will focus on popularising rooftop solarisation and free electricity. “One crore households will be able to obtain up to 300 units of free electricity per month,” the minister said. 

Nirmala also added that households are expected to be able to save between Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000 from free solar power and by selling to power distribution companies. She further said that the scheme follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that the government will launch Pradhanmantri Surydaya Yojana with the target of installing rooftop solar on 1 crore houses.

“This will not only reduce the electricity bill of the poor and middle class but will also make India self-reliant in the field of energy, PM Modi had said on January 22 on the historic day of Pran Prathishta of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya,” the Finance Minister said during the budget announcement.