Patna: The Bihar government is working on a plan that could significantly reduce electricity bills for domestic consumers across the state. As part of this effort, a proposal has been sent to the Union ministry of new and renewable energy for installing solar panels on the rooftops of people’s homes. The move follows the state government’s earlier announcement of providing 125 units of free electricity to all domestic consumers before the recent assembly elections.
According to officials from the energy department, the proposed rooftop solar panels will be connected to the electricity grid. This will allow households to generate their own power, which could bring electricity bills down to almost zero. At the same time, the state government’s expenditure on electricity subsidies is also expected to reduce. A detailed draft of the scheme has already been prepared and sent to the Centre, and after approval, it will be placed before the state cabinet for final clearance.
The state government has clarified that this scheme will be different from the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana, which is currently running at the national level. Under the central scheme, consumers install solar panels on their own and receive subsidies based on the system’s capacity, along with access to bank loans. In Bihar’s proposed model, the government itself will arrange the installation of solar panels and decide subsidy levels based on the income of different households.
Consumer consent will be mandatory before installing solar panels on rooftops. The government plans to fix standard rates for installations in different areas and create a panel of approved solar companies. These companies will be given work in specific regions, and consumers will have the option to choose from the listed firms. Direct financial assistance will be provided by the state under this scheme.
Earlier, Bihar had implemented a smaller solar initiative under the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali campaign, and officials say the experience from that programme will help in rolling out the new scheme. If approved, the rooftop solar plan could play a major role in lowering electricity costs for households, promoting clean energy and making the state’s power system more sustainable in the long run.
