Tirupati:: Officials told to formulate plans for harnessing solar energy

Tirupati: In a step toward promoting sustainable energy, District Collector Dr S Venkateswar has instructed officials to develop extensive plans for harnessing and utilising solar energy, in line with the Central and State government initiatives.

The directive was given during a district-level committee meeting held at the Collectorate to discuss solar energy production and its application. The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the superintendent engineer of APSPDCL and the development manager of NREDCAP. The focus was on implementing the ‘PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’, a scheme designed to empower households to produce solar power and reduce their electricity costs.

To ensure the smooth implementation of the scheme, a 10-member committee has been formed under the chairpersonship of the District Collector. Other members include the CEO of Zilla Parishad, DRDA PD, Lead Bank manager, NREDCAP development manager and representatives from APSPDCL and NABARD.

Under this initiative, households can install solar panels on their rooftops and produce their own electricity. Subsidies ranging from Rs 30,000 for a 1 kw system to Rs 78,000 for systems above 3 kw will be directly credited to users’ accounts.

Interested applicants can apply through the official website www.pmsuryaghar.gov.in or APSPDCL. A toll-free helpline, 1912, has been set up for guidance.

The Collector emphasised transforming five villages with population of over 5,000 into model solar villages under phase-1 of the project. Additionally, officials were directed to install solar plants in government offices with a power demand exceeding 100 kw. During the meeting, the NREDCAP development manager Dileep Kumar Reddy reported the identification of 122 government offices in the district for solar panel installations. A poster promoting the ‘Grama Sthayi Jana Suraksha’ programme was also unveiled at the event.

ZP Deputy CEO Jubeda, DRDA PD Shobhan Babu, APSPDCL SE Surendra Naidu, NREDCAP manager Dileep Kumar Reddy and corporator RC Munikrishna were present.