The rooftop solar programme of the Central government will enable one crore houses to get 300 units of free electricity every month, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Thursday as she presented the interim Budget 2024.
“Savings of ₹18,000 crore are expected for households annually through free energy and selling their excess generation to the grid,” the Finance Minister said in her Budget speech.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Centre’s plan to install rooftop solar on one crore households under the Pradhanmantri Surodaya Yojna. The scheme aims to provide electricity to low and middle-income individuals through solar rooftop installations, along with offering additional income for surplus electricity generation. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy launched the second phase of the rooftop solar programme in 2019 with an objective to achieve 40 GW of rooftop solar.
The interim Budget 2024-25 is the last of the Modi 2.0 government before the upcoming general elections. Technically a vote on account, the interim Budget seeks Parliament’s approval to withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India in advance to meet the Centre’s expenditure for the first four months of the new fiscal year, which is April-July period. Once the new administration takes charge, which is expected around June, it will come up with a final Budget for 2024-25 in July.
Interim Budget 2024: Highlights
The session began on Wednesday with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In her address, the President listed key achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government over the decade as she made a special mention of the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The President also hailed the government for economic reforms undertaken in the last 10 years that she said have transformed India from a “fragile five” to the “top five” economies in the world. She also lauded the members for the smooth passage of the women’s reservation bill.
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