Over 51 lakh households benefit under PM Surya Ghar, 28.4 lakh farm pumps solarised: Govt
New Delhi, August 12
More than 51.27 lakh households have benefited under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, while 28.39 lakh irrigation pumps have been solarised under PM-KUSUM, the government said in a Lok Sabha reply on Wednesday, highlighting the expanding reach of decentralised solar energy schemes.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said it is regularly reviewing the implementation of both schemes with states, power distribution companies, banks and other stakeholders and taking measures based on their feedback to improve implementation.
Under PM Surya Ghar, 51,27,843 households had benefited as of August 10, 2026, while 28,38,970 irrigation pumps had been solarised as of July 31, according to the reply.
The government said the schemes are demand-driven, with PM Surya Ghar primarily benefiting individual households and PM-KUSUM primarily benefiting individual farmer families.
Since 2023-24, a total of 1,14,502 MW of renewable energy capacity has been added across the country up to July 31, 2026, including 68,765.72 MW of ground-mounted solar, 21,864.62 MW of rooftop solar and 4,116.89 MW under off-grid solar/PM-KUSUM.
The state-wise data shows significant variation in implementation. Gujarat recorded the highest total renewable energy capacity addition at 31,184.32 MW, followed by Rajasthan at 27,524.79 MW and Maharashtra at 17,390.32 MW during the period.
Higher central financial assistance has been provided under both PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM for north-eastern states, hilly states and Union Territories, and island Union Territories, which have relatively low renewable energy potential, the ministry said.
Under PM Surya Ghar, the Centre has released Rs 28,700.2 crore in financial assistance since 2023-24 up to August 10, 2026. Maharashtra received the highest amount at Rs 5,177.38 crore, followed by Gujarat at Rs 5,743.87 crore and Uttar Pradesh at Rs 4,891.93 crore.
Under PM-KUSUM, Rs 10,850.8 crore was released during 2023-24 to July 31, 2026, with Maharashtra receiving the highest amount at Rs 5,925.19 crore.
The Centre has also said it is promoting decentralised solar energy in regions with relatively low renewable energy potential, including Bihar and the Seemanchal region, so that these areas can also benefit from renewable energy.
The reply further mentioned that regular monitoring and regional review meetings will continue as part of efforts to improve implementation and expand the benefits of decentralised solar energy.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good initiative but let's be honest - the numbers look impressive on paper. My neighbour in Bengaluru applied for PM Surya Ghar six months ago and is still waiting for the installation. The subsidy disbursement process is too slow. Also, why is Gujarat getting more than Maharashtra in central assistance when Maharashtra has higher solar potential? Needs better distribution honestly.
As a farmer from Punjab, PM-KUSUM has been a game changer for us. Solarising irrigation pumps has reduced our diesel costs massively. Earlier we used to spend ₹15,000-20,000 per season on diesel alone. Now with solar pumps, that's almost zero. But I agree with others - the adoption needs to be faster. We need more awareness camps in villages, many farmers still don't know about the scheme.
Impressive scale of adoption in India's renewable push. The fact that over 51 lakh households have rooftop solar is substantial. But I wonder about the maintenance aspect - who ensures these panels keep working efficiently? Also, what's the disposal plan for old panels? Sustainability requires more than just installation.
Happy to see these numbers, but why is the focus always on Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra? What about the north-eastern states? They have less solar potential, true, but the government says it's providing higher assistance there. Would love to see actual ground reports from Meghalaya or Assam about how much of this money is reaching the intended beneficiaries. Sometimes central schemes look great on paper but implementation at state level suffers.
This is commendable progress. India is showing the world that developing nations
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.