Chhatttisgarh’s Khaira village in Rajnandgaon district has achieved a distinct feat of achieving 100 percent rooftop solar coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, with all 141 households equipped with solar power systems, officials said on Monday.
Rajnandgaon collector Jitendra Yadav said the village had achieved complete household coverage under the scheme.
Khaira has a population of 889, and each household has been provided a 2-kilowatt rooftop solar system, taking the total installed capacity to around 282 kW. Of the 141 households, 93 are beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). With all 141 households covered, Khaira now has a combined rooftop solar capacity of about 282 kW under the initiative.
“Khaira is the first village in India where 100 percent of households have been covered with rooftop solar under the PM Surya Ghar scheme,” he said. The systems were provided at no cost to residents through a combination of central and state subsidies and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding, officials said. “The initiative will provide significant relief to families with limited incomes by reducing their monthly electricity expenses,” Yadav said. Shogil Gond, a PMAY-G beneficiary who lives alone and depends on her pension, said the solar system had eased her concern over electricity bills. Now I don’t have to worry about the electricity bill,” she said. Kartik Yadav, a PMAY-G and pension beneficiary who works under VB-G RAM G and does domestic work, said the savings were important for his family. We went from house to house and explained the scheme to each family,” she said. PM Surya Sabhas and special banking camps were organised to explain the scheme, verify documents and complete banking formalities, officials said. “The participation of villagers and the efforts of the women who worked as PM Surya Sakhis were crucial in achieving 100% coverage,” Collector said. Yadav said the Khaira model could be replicated in other villages. “The Khaira experience shows that coordination between the administration, local community, banks, CSR partners and women’s groups can help achieve complete coverage,” he said.
With solar, I won’t have to worry about the electricity bill any more,” he said. Under the net-metering system, households can use the electricity generated by their rooftop panels and feed surplus power into the grid, helping reduce their electricity bills. The beneficiaries include families dependent on pensions, farming, domestic work and wages under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika (VB-G RAM G) programme. “I live alone and depend only on my pension. “My earnings are small. The mobilisation of households was led by local women trained as PM Surya Sakhis. Sangeeta Sahu was among those who went door-to-door to explain the scheme and helped residents with applications and documentation. The initiative also involved the self-help group network associated with Padma Shri awardee Phoolbasan Bai Yadav. “People believe a neighbour more than they believe a paper. The campaign was coordinated through the gram panchayat headed by Sarpanch Bhupendra Yadav. The district administration coordinated with various departments, banks and CSR partners to complete the initiative.
