Supaul: Solar plants will be installed in 55 panchayats, 7154 poor families will get solar energy.

Supaul. An important initiative has started in the district towards providing clean and affordable energy to poor families. Under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, solar power plants of 1.1 kilowatt capacity will be installed on the rooftops of 7,154 BPL families of Supaul. This scheme was launched on Sunday, with which the process of starting work in the district in a phased manner has also been expedited.

During a state level program organized from Vidyut Bhawan in Patna, the work of installing solar plants on the houses of 2.5 lakh Kutir Jyoti category consumers at a cost of Rs 1,512 crore was launched. Besides, foundation stone laying ceremony, inauguration and inauguration of various energy sector projects worth Rs 1,278 crore also took place.

Live telecast of the program was seen in the Lahtan Chaudhary Auditorium of Supaul Collectorate, in which public representatives, district administration officials, electricity department engineers and beneficiaries participated. In the first phase of the scheme, 55 panchayats of all 11 blocks of Supaul have been selected.

With the help of Jeevika Didis in these Panchayats, the process of surveying the beneficiaries and taking consent letters has been completed. Now solar power plants will be installed at the homes of selected families in a phased manner.

Each solar plant with 1.1 kilowatt capacity will be capable of producing approximately 125 units of electricity per month. This will not only fulfill the domestic electricity needs but will also reduce the burden on electricity bills.

Under the scheme, the entire financial management of the installation of solar panels will be done with the cooperation of the Central and State Government, while the responsibility of its implementation and maintenance for 10 years in Supaul has been entrusted to M/s Oswal Pumps Limited.

It is being started from Rajpur Panchayat of Kishanpur block, after which the work will proceed in other selected panchayats also. On each plant with an estimated cost of about Rs 60 thousand, the Central Government will give a grant of Rs 33 thousand and the State Government will give a grant of Rs 10 thousand, while the remaining amount will be borne by the agency.

The objective of the scheme is to make poor families self-reliant in the field of energy, reduce electricity expenses and promote the use of clean energy. The district administration and electricity department are working towards its implementation in a time bound manner.