Dehradun: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday participated in the Mukhya Sevak Samvad program with the developers of Mukhyamantri Solar Swarojgar Yojana at Mukhya Sevak Sadan located at the Chief Minister’s residence. On this occasion, the Chief Minister announced that the women associated with the Chief Minister Solar Swarojgar Yojana will be named Solar Sakhi. Special camps will be organized in the development blocks to promote the Chief Minister Solar Swarojgar Yojana and other self-employment related schemes on a wide scale. People will be trained in every district for the maintenance of solar plants.
The Chief Minister said that under this scheme, the target of 250 MW has been achieved in the state. Work is being done towards further expanding this scheme. The source of solar energy is unlimited as well as environmentally friendly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly trying to promote the use of solar energy on a wide scale through various schemes. Along with schemes like Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana, PM Kusum, the formation of International Solar Alliance under the leadership of India is playing an important role in increasing the use of solar energy. The Prime Minister has set a target of generating 500 gigawatts of electricity through solar energy by the year 2030. He has also set a target of making the country carbon neutral by 2070.
The Chief Minister said that a new solar energy policy has also been implemented with the aim of promoting solar energy in the state. A target of 2500 MW solar capacity has been set by the year 2027. Special subsidy is being provided to promote rooftop solar plants in the state. Subsidy is also being given to beneficiaries for setting up solar power plants through PM Surya Ghar Yojana. Under the Chief Minister Solar Self-Employment Scheme, a subsidy of 20 to 50 percent is being given for setting up projects ranging from 20 to 200 kilowatts. An additional subsidy of 5 percent is also being given to women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category as well as Divyangjan. Under the scheme, a subsidy of 4 percent is being given on the loan for setting up the plant. UPCL has also ensured a guarantee of power purchase by entering into a 25-year contract through Power Purchase Agreement. To make the entire process transparent and technically strong, the arrangements from application to allocation have been made simple, accessible and efficient through online portal.
The Chief Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is moving rapidly towards becoming a developed and self-reliant nation. Today, India has established itself as the fourth largest economy in the world with an economy of more than 4 trillion dollars. Through initiatives like ‘Vocal for Local’, ‘Make in India’ and ‘Startup India’, the country is moving rapidly towards becoming self-reliant. He said that the state government is also working on many important schemes to stop migration from the mountains and to promote local economy and tourism. Through the ‘One District, Two Products’ scheme, we have promoted local livelihood opportunities, while the ‘House of Himalayas’ brand has worked to give wide recognition to our local products.
During the dialogue, Shailendra Singh of Uttarkashi said that the Chief Minister Solar Self Employment Scheme is very beneficial for the mountainous areas, it is also making good use of barren land. Vikas Mohan of Chamoli said that this scheme should be promoted up to the development block level, so that people can take maximum advantage of it. Rupa Rani of Pauri said that a scheme should be made in the solar energy sector to promote women power. Ketan Bhardwaj of Champawat said that there should be a training system for the maintenance of solar plants.
On this occasion, Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Additional Secretary and Director UREDA Ranjana Rajguru, Managing Director UJVNL Sandeep Singhal, Managing Director Pitkul PC Dhyani were present.
