PM Modi meets Surya Ghar beneficiaries in Gujarat

New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met and interacted with the beneficiaries of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district. 

PM Modi, on a two-day visit to his home state, reached Shalin-2 society of Vavol area and interacted with the families of many households who have installed solar panels on their rooftops, as part of the Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The Prime Minister spent around 20 minutes at the residential complex and interacted with the beneficiaries.

Jagshi Veshi Suthar, one of the beneficiaries who got a chance to interact with PM Modi, shared his joy with IANS.

"PM Modi inquired us about how we got solar panels installed on our rooftops and how we are benefitting from this. We are very happy and thankful to him for helping solar power reach common households," he said.

He said that he also extended greetings to PM Modi on his birthday and informed that he gifted a book to the Prime Minister.

"PM Modi also returned the favour by giving his autograph on a white cloth and wrote, Jai Vishwakarma Bhagwan. It's a memorable moment for us," he said.

Amit Paithankar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Waaree Energies Ltd., told IANS that the solar power generation target set by the Prime Minister was ambitious but achievable.

"It's a big and inspirational vision. To bring that into reality, it calls upon concerted and dedicated effort from all stakeholders. The target of 500 gigawatts can be achieved though, if we optimise our resources and manufacturing capacity," he said.

He further stated that his company has been working in the field of solar energy for the past three decades.

"We are deeply involved in the energy transition. We have a production capacity of 13.4 gigawatts. We have 5 factories, including 5 in Gujarat and 1 in Greater Noida. We have the potential to significantly contribute to the country's solar power generation. Now that the Prime Minister has set targets, we are eager to do more," he told IANS.

Notably, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is a scheme launched on February 29, with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore, to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity. Under the scheme, the Centre aims to provide free electricity to one crore households that choose to install rooftop solar panels.