Lok Sabha Question No. 1760 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Solar Energy Projects in Rural Areas
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Shri Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1760

ANSWERED ON 30/07/2025

## SOLAR ENERGY PROJECTS IN RURAL AREAS

## 1760. SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT SHRI SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

- (a) the details and name of States, districts, towns in which wind and solar energy projects are being implemented in the country at present;
- (b) the policy of the Government for setting up of solar energy projects particularly in rural areas and the criteria fixed in this regard;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure a transparent and fair process of land acquisition for the said projects/schemes;
- (d) whether the Government has taken any steps to prevent incidents like forceful land acquisition or involvement of criminal elements in land acquisition and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the number of cases have come to the notice of the Government since the year 2014 till date;
- (f) the manner in which such cases have been investigated and settled along with the action taken against the culprits; and
- (g) the steps taken by the Government to protect the interests of farmers and complete the projects?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF  STATE  FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)

- (a) Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is facilitating implementation of wind and solar energy projects in all feasible locations of the country.
- (b) The Government has taken steps to implement various schemes to promote solar energy in rural areas, the details of which are provided at Annexure.
- (c) to (g) The project developers or individual beneficiaries arrange land for setting up such projects. Further, land is a subject of the State Governments. MNRE has also been requesting the State Governments to identify suitable government land for the installation of Renewable Energy (RE) projects. In case of lack of availability of sufficient Government land, private lands could also be identified. However, it is important to ensure fair and timely compensation in such cases, so that not only the acquisition of land is expedited, a conducive environment is also created for development of RE projects in a time-bound manner. The State Governments have also been requested for the same.

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## Referred  in  reply  of  the  part  (b)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  1760  to  be answered on 30.07.2025.

## List of Operational Schemes to Promote Solar Energy in Rural Areas

| Scheme/Programmes                                                                     | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                           | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                           | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                           | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                           |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| a) PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana Yojana for installing rooftop solar for One Crore | 1. Under the PMSG: MBY, the Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for installation of Rooftop Solar in the Residential Sector is given below: | 1. Under the PMSG: MBY, the Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for installation of Rooftop Solar in the Residential Sector is given below: | 1. Under the PMSG: MBY, the Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for installation of Rooftop Solar in the Residential Sector is given below: | 1. Under the PMSG: MBY, the Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for installation of Rooftop Solar in the Residential Sector is given below: |
| households.                                                                           | Sl.                                                                                                                                        | No. Type of Residential Segment                                                                                                            | CFA                                                                                                                                        | CFA (Special Category States/UTs)                                                                                                          |
|                                                                                       | 1                                                                                                                                          | Residential Sector (first 2 kWp of Rooftop Solar (RTS) capacity or part thereof)                                                           | Rs.30,000/kWp                                                                                                                              | Rs.33,000/kWp                                                                                                                              |
|                                                                                       | 2                                                                                                                                          | Residential Sector (with additional RTS capacity of 1 kWp or part thereof)                                                                 | Rs.18,000/kWp                                                                                                                              | Rs.19,800/kWp                                                                                                                              |
|                                                                                       | 3                                                                                                                                          | Residential Sector (additional RTS capacity beyond 3 kWp)                                                                                  | No additional CFA                                                                                                                          | No additional CFA                                                                                                                          |
|                                                                                       | 4                                                                                                                                          | Group Housing Societies/ Residential Welfare Associations (GHS/RWA) etc. for common facilities including EV charging up to                 | Rs.18,000/kWp                                                                                                                              | Rs.19,800/kWp                                                                                                                              |

| Scheme/Programmes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | 500 kWp (@ 3 kWp per house) 2. The PMSG: MBY scheme includes the provision for incentive to DISCOMs to motivate and help them in activities such as create conducive regulatory and administrative mechanisms, achieve targets for implementation. The incentive is pegged at 5% of applicable benchmark cost for capacity achieved above 10% and less than 15% of installed base capacity; 10% of the applicable benchmark cost for capacity achieved beyond 15% of installed base capacity. 3. To push the deployment of residential rooftop solar system (RTS) and undertake local mobilization efforts, the PMSG: MBY scheme also includes the provision for incentive to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), at the rate of Rs.1000 for every installation of RTS in residential segment in the jurisdiction of ULB/PRI, for which CFA has been transferred to consumer. 4. Further, a fund of Rs. 800 crore has been provisioned for developing a Model Solar Village in each district of the country, with an assistance of Rs 1 crore per |
| b) PM-KUSUM scheme for setting up decentralized solar or other renewable energy power plants, installation of stand-alone solar agriculture pumps, and solarization of existing grid-connected agriculture pumps, including feeder-level solarization. The scheme benefits not only | Component A : Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground/Stilt Mounted Solar Power Plants Benefits available: Procurement Based Incentive (PBI) to the DISCOMs @ 40 paise/kWh or Rs. 6.60 lakhs/MW/year, whichever is lower, for buying solar power under this scheme. The PBI is given to the DISCOMs for a period of five years from the Commercial Operation Date of the plant. Therefore, the total PBI payable to DISCOMs is up to Rs. 33 Lakh per MW. Component B : Installation of 14 Lakh Stand-alone Solar Pumps                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

| Scheme/Programmes                                                          | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| farmers but also the States and DISCOMs.                                   | Benefits available: CFA of 30% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the stand-alone solar agriculture pump is provided. However, in North Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, CFA of 50% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the stand-alone solar pump is provided. Component B can also be implemented without State share of 30%. The Central Financial Assistance will continue to remain 30%andrest 70% will be borne by the farmer. Component C: Solarisation of 35 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps including through Feeder Level Solarisation Benefits available: (a) Individual Pump Solarization (IPS): CFA of 30% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the solar PV component will be provided. However, in North Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, CFA of 50% of the benchmark cost or the tender cost, whichever is lower, of the solar PV component is provided. Component C (IPS) can also be implemented without State share of 30%. The Central Financial Assistance will continue to remain 30%andrest 70% will be borne by the farmer. (b) Feeder Level Solarization (FLS): Agriculture feeders can be solarized by the State Government in CAPEX or RESCO mode with CFA of Rs. 1.05 Crore per MW as provided by MNRE. However, in North Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Island, CFA of Rs. 1.75 crore perMW is provided. |
| c) New Solar Power Scheme (for Tribal and PVTG Habitations/Villages) under | Components Central Share (100%)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |

| Scheme/Programmes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme   | Incentives presently available as per the Scheme   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) and Dharti Aabha Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA JGUA) with a provision for providing off-grid Solar Lighting where electricity supply through grid is not techno-economically feasible. | Provision of 0.3 kW Solar off-grid system for 1 lakh Tribal and PVTG HHs Rs. 50,000 per HH or as actual cost Solar street lighting and provision of lighting in 1500 MPCs of PVTG areas (under PM JANMAN component only) Rs. 1 lakh per MPC Solarisation of 2000 public institutions through off-grid solar systems (under DA Rs 1 lakh per kW with maximum solar PV of 20 kW per public |                                                    | per                                                |
| Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) and Dharti Aabha Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA JGUA) with a provision for providing off-grid Solar Lighting where electricity supply through grid is not techno-economically feasible. | JGUA                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | component only)                                    | capacity institution.                              |
| Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) and Dharti Aabha Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA JGUA) with a provision for providing off-grid Solar Lighting where electricity supply through grid is not techno-economically feasible. |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |                                                    |                                                    |