Solar Power Subsidy Scheme

What is the Goa Solar Power Subsidy Scheme?

Solar Power Subsidy Scheme, 2018 is a capital incentive of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa. It was framed in pursuance of clause 6.2.6.b of the Goa Information Technology Policy 2018, notified on 18 July 2018, and was published in the Official Gazette, Series I No. 21, on 23 August 2018 under Notification No. 2(6)/DOIT/2018/Power Subsidy/753.

The stated objective is to provide a Solar Power Subsidy to eligible IT units in the State of Goa. The design decision worth noticing is that Goa did not offer a sliding scale for partial solar adoption. The subsidy is reserved for units running on 100% solar energy. An all-or-nothing threshold that pushes a unit to size its installation for its full load rather than to bolt on a token array.

The same notification carried the Power Subsidy Scheme, which subsidises grid electricity costs. The two are mutually exclusive: a unit taking the solar subsidy cannot take the power subsidy.

Who is eligible for the Solar Power Subsidy Scheme?

Your unit can apply if:

• It is a New or Existing Unit with operations in Goa.
• It is one of these legal forms: a proprietorship firm, a private limited company or public limited company under the Companies Act, 2013 (or equivalent), a registered partnership firm under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932 (or equivalent), or a limited liability partnership under the LLP Act, 2008 (or equivalent).
• It is running on 100% solar energy.
• It is registered with the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) for the production of solar power.
• The bank accounts of the unit and/or its partners or directors are linked to Aadhaar.
• It can produce Udyog Aadhaar. The scheme makes this an express condition.
• The expenditure was incurred during the operation of the policy.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are an individual, a household or a housing society. This is an IT-unit-level incentive under the Goa IT Policy 2018, not a residential rooftop solar subsidy.
• Your unit is availing benefits under the Power Subsidy Scheme of the same policy. Clause 4.5 makes the two alternatives.
• Your unit draws any power from a non-solar source. The declaration form requires the unit to state that it operates on 100% solar energy and does not consume energy from any other source.
• Your unit is not registered with GEDA for the production of solar power.
• Your unit cannot produce Udyog Aadhaar, or its bank accounts are not Aadhaar-linked.
• The installation expenditure fell outside the operating period of the policy.

How much does the subsidy pay?

According to the notification, all units operating in Goa running on 100% solar energy are eligible for a reimbursement of 10% of their capital cost of the installation of the Solar Power Generation Unit, subject to a maximum subsidy of INR 50 lakh.

The Rs 50 lakh ceiling is reached at a capital cost of Rs 5 crore, which is a substantial installation. For most small and mid-sized IT units in Goa the binding number is the 10%, not the cap.

The subsidy is a reimbursement, so the unit funds the installation first and claims afterwards. The checklist reflects this: contracts and purchase orders prove the plant was set up, and receipts or other proof of payment fix the capital cost on which the 10% is computed.

Existing rebates must be declared. The checklist asks for a copy of any sanction letter of rebate from the Central Government and from the Goa State Government, with proof of payment, where available. Central rooftop and captive solar incentives are common, and the Department wants sight of them before it computes this subsidy.

Benefits are subject to budgetary allocation. The notification records that the provisions of the policy and its schemes are not binding representations or assurances, and that the doctrine of promissory estoppel does not apply against the Government where a provision is not implemented.

What documents does the claim need?

Alongside these, the claim requires the Common Application Form, the application form for units (Annexure 1) and the declaration form for units (Annexure 2). Annexure 1, the Solar Power Subsidy Rebate Form, asks for the total capital expenditure for setting up the solar power generation unit, the total capacity of the plant in kW, the date since the unit has been 100% solar powered, and the amount eligible per policy.

Annexure 2 carries the specific declaration that the unit is operating on 100% solar energy and does not consume energy from any other source. That is a strong statement to sign, and it is worth being certain of it — including for backup generators and any grid connection retained for contingency; before it goes on the file.

How to apply for the Solar Power Subsidy Scheme

1. Register on goaonline.gov.in. Verify your email ID and mobile number by OTP, complete the registration form, and create a login name and password.
2. Register the unit with GEDA for the production of solar power, and obtain Udyog Aadhaar if you do not already hold it. Both are conditions of eligibility, not documentation you can add later.
3. File the Common Application Form (Part 1) with the requisite documents. The form and documents may be emailed or submitted on the web portal, and the Department of Information Technology generates a unique registration number for the unit.
4. Install and commission the solar power generation unit, keeping every contract, purchase order and payment receipt. The capital cost you can evidence is the capital cost the 10% is computed on.
5. Log in to goaonline.gov.in, open Services, then IT Services, and select the Solar Power Subsidy Scheme to open its application form.
6. Submit the Common Application Form (Part 2) with Annexure 1, stating the total capital expenditure, the plant capacity in kW, the date from which the unit has been 100% solar powered, and the eligible amount.
7. Attach the signed declaration (Annexure 2) confirming 100% solar operation, along with GEDA proof, installation documents and any central or state rebate sanction letters.
8. Track the 90-day timeline on the Goa Online status-tracking page.

Who decides the claim?

The Due Diligence Committee of the Department of Information Technology scrutinises the application against the checklist. The supported Committee is the competent authority to accept or reject any claim filed by a unit, and the notification states that its decision is final and binding on the applicant.

The published disbursement timeline is:

The applicant can apply quarterly, half-yearly or annually after incurring the relevant expenditure.

Why do Solar Power Subsidy claims fail?

• The unit is not 100% solar. Partial solar adoption is outside the scheme, and the declaration form makes this explicit rather than implicit.
• No GEDA registration for the production of solar power.
• The unit is already taking the Power Subsidy Scheme, which excludes it from this one.
• Capital cost not evidenced. Contracts and purchase orders prove the plant exists; only receipts and payment proofs fix the number the 10% runs on.
• Central or state rebates not disclosed, where sanction letters exist.
• Udyog Aadhaar not produced, or bank accounts not Aadhaar-linked.
• Expenditure incurred outside the operating period of the policy.

Where do I complain?

The Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa is the first point of contact, at dit.goa.gov.in. The supported Committee is the deciding authority, and the Department is where a file that has crossed day 90 without a sanction order or a regret letter should be pursued.

Application status can be tracked on goaonline.gov.in, which is also the State's route for registering a public grievance where the Department's own response is unsatisfactory.

Practical points

• Decide between the two power schemes before you install. Taking the solar subsidy closes off the Power Subsidy Scheme, so run the comparison on your actual load before committing capital.
• Get GEDA registration in place early. It is an eligibility condition, and an installed plant without it produces no claim.
• Be honest about the 100% test. A diesel generator on standby or a retained grid connection is exactly the kind of detail the declaration in Annexure 2 is written to catch.
• Record the date you went fully solar. Annexure 1 asks for it directly, and reconstructing it later from bills is awkward.
• Confirm what is operative before you budget. The 2018 scheme was framed to remain in force for 5 years from its notification, published on 23 August 2018, and Goa's IT policy has been reviewed since.

How to check your application status

1. Go to goaonline.gov.in and log in with the same registration you used to file the Common Application Form and the Solar Power Subsidy claim.
2. Open the application status or track-application section of the portal. Your unique registration number, issued by the Department of Information Technology when the Common Application Form (Part 1) was accepted, is what the status page keys against, so keep it on hand.
3. Match what you see against the notified disbursement timeline, counting from the date (D) your claim was received:
   • D + 30 days: the application should have cleared scrutiny against the document checklist by the Due Diligence Committee.
   • D + 60 days: the supported Committee should have approved or rejected the claim.
   • D + 90 days: a regret letter (if refused) or a sanction order and disbursement (if approved) should have issued.
4. If the portal shows the file sitting in scrutiny well past D + 30, it usually means a document from the checklist is missing or a query has been raised that you have not answered. Check for any message or query flag against the application before assuming it is simply delayed.
5. If day 90 passes with neither a sanction order nor a regret letter on the portal, follow up directly with the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Government of Goa (dit.goa.gov.in) rather than only refreshing the online status, since the Committee's decisions are recorded departmentally before the portal reflects them.
6. Keep your acknowledgement of the Common Application Form and any emailed submission receipts. If the online status and the Department's own file disagree, these are what you present to reconcile the two.