48,741 homes in Amravati benefit from solar scheme

Amravati: Electricity bills of 48,741 domestic consumers in Amravati circle has dropped to zero thanks to central govt's ‘Pradhan Mantri Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojana.' The initiative provides free electricity to households consuming up to 300 units per month through subsidised rooftop solar installations.Under the scheme, consumers receive a subsidy of up to Rs 78,000 to install solar rooftop projects — Rs 30,000 each for the first two kilowatts and Rs 18,000 for the third. The amount is credited directly to bank accounts, with easy loan facilities also available.Amravati district has emerged as the frontrunner with 33,846 completed installations, including 19,272 in Amravati city alone. Achalpur recorded 5,912 projects, followed by Morshi with 4,606 and Amravati Rural with 4,056. In neighbouring Yavatmal district, 14,895 consumers have adopted rooftop solar systems under the scheme. Yavatmal division leads with 6,257 projects, while Pusad accounted for 3,430 installations, Pandharkawada 3,360 and Darwha 1,846.MSEDCL officials said the implementation of the scheme gained pace under Chief Engineer Ashok Salunke and Superintending Engineers Deepak Deohate and Pravin Daroli. Fast online applications, technical guidance, and quick net metering have driven demand in both urban and rural areas.