Chennai
On Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu government urged the Centre to avoid imposing additional conditions under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, which could undermine the feasibility of the scheme. State Electricity Minister V. Senthil Balaji emphasized that if a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to be signed, the targets should be set in consultation with the Tamil Nadu government to ensure they are both realistic and achievable.
The scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, aims to provide free electricity to households by subsidizing rooftop solar panel installations across India. However, Balaji highlighted that the Ministry of Power’s recent introduction of new conditions, including the requirement to meet undefined targets set by a monitoring committee, may complicate the program’s implementation.
In a memorandum submitted during the state power ministers conference in Delhi, Balaji also requested that the REC and PFC—noddal agencies for the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme—consider reducing the interest rate to 8% in recognition of Tamil Nadu’s efforts to improve the financial and operational performance of its power utilities.
Additionally, the state sought approval for a ₹3,246 crore proposal for system modernization, including the construction of new substations and augmentation projects. Balaji also requested that Tamil Nadu receive offshore wind power through state rather than central connectivity and called for several adjustments to the national transmission system and tariff structures.
