The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has amended the guidelines for implementing the Model Solar Village under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. This amendment focuses on eligibility and selection processes to ensure more practical and inclusive execution.

The ministry issued operational guidelines to set up one model solar village in every district of the country last August.

The eligibility criteria have been expanded. While the original rule mandated that a Model Solar Village be a revenue village with a population above 5,000 (and above 2,000 for Special Category States and UTs), the amendment now includes a provision for flexibility.

In districts where fewer than ten villages meet the population threshold, the District Level Committee (DLC) can select the ten most populous villages for competition. Additionally, the DLC can broaden the scope to encompass a “Model Solar Panchayat” instead of a single village. This change is designed to enhance implementability in demographically sparse districts, particularly in hilly and remote areas.

In another amendment, the selection process has also been refined. Originally, the village with the highest total renewable energy capacity within its revenue boundaries, regardless of government support, was eligible for designation as a Model Solar Village.

Under the amended clause, emphasis is now placed specifically on distributed solar capacity. The revised guideline states that the village with the maximum distributed solar capacity deployed within its boundaries, whether through public or private means, will be selected.

The primary objectives of the model solar villages are to facilitate access to clean and green energy in rural areas through rooftop solar systems and to reduce dependency on utilities. The program will also promote solar-based home lighting, water systems, agricultural pumps, and streetlights.

Launched in February 2024, the PM Surya Ghar program aims to install rooftop solar systems in 10 million households by 2026-27.