PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana

What is PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana?

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is a Central Sector scheme of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, launched by the Prime Minister on 13 February 2024. PM Surya Ghar helps residential households install rooftop solar panels by giving a direct central subsidy and aims to let each household generate up to 300 units of free electricity a month.

According to the national portal, PM Surya Ghar targets 1 crore households across the country and pays the subsidy straight into the beneficiary's bank account after the system is installed and connected to the grid. The scheme combines a capital subsidy with the option of a collateral-free loan so that the upfront cost of going solar is sharply reduced.

Key objectives

• Cut monthly electricity bills for households by letting them produce their own solar power.
• Add rooftop solar capacity and reduce the load on distribution companies.
• Encourage clean energy adoption at the household level across India.

Main features

• Central Sector scheme funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• Subsidy of up to Rs 78,000 for a rooftop system of 3 kW or more.
• Subsidy paid by Direct Benefit Transfer after installation and commissioning.
• Applications and vendor selection handled on a single national portal.

Who is eligible for PM Surya Ghar?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian resident with a residential electricity connection.
• You own the roof where the solar system will be installed, or have the owner's consent.
• Your household has a valid connection with a distribution company (DISCOM) and a consumer number.
• You have not already availed a central rooftop-solar subsidy for the same premises.

You cannot apply if:

• The connection is commercial or industrial, not residential; PM Surya Ghar is only for residential consumers.
• You do not own the roof and cannot get the owner's consent.
• The premises has already claimed a rooftop-solar subsidy under this or an earlier scheme.

Housing societies and resident welfare associations can avail support for common facilities under a separate provision, but the core Rs 78,000 slab described here is for individual residential rooftops.

What documents are required for PM Surya Ghar?

How to apply for PM Surya Ghar online

1. Go to the national portal at pmsuryaghar.gov.in and click Apply for Rooftop Solar.
2. Register by selecting your state and DISCOM, then enter your electricity consumer number, mobile number and email.
3. Log in with the consumer number and mobile OTP, and fill in the rooftop-solar application form.
4. Wait for feasibility approval from your DISCOM, which is a technical clearance to connect the system to the grid.
5. Once approved, select a registered vendor for your DISCOM from the portal and get the system installed.
6. After installation, apply for net metering; the DISCOM inspects the system and issues a commissioning certificate.
7. Submit your bank account details and a cancelled cheque on the portal to receive the subsidy.
8. The subsidy is credited by DBT to your bank account, typically within about 30 days of commissioning.

How much benefit does PM Surya Ghar provide?

PM Surya Ghar pays a central subsidy of Rs 30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and Rs 18,000 for the third kW. The subsidy is capped at Rs 78,000 for systems of 3 kW and above. In practice:

• 1 kW system: Rs 30,000
• 2 kW system: Rs 60,000
• 3 kW and above: Rs 78,000 (maximum)

Beyond the capital subsidy, the scheme aims to give households up to 300 free units of electricity a month, because a rooftop system of around 3 kW can generate roughly 300 units in most Indian states. The exact benefit depends on sunlight, system size and household consumption, and surplus power exported through net metering can further reduce the bill.

Households can also take a collateral-free, low-interest loan for systems up to 3 kW through the national portal to cover the balance cost after the subsidy.

How to check your PM Surya Ghar application status

1. Log in to pmsuryaghar.gov.in with your registered consumer number and mobile OTP.
2. Open the application status section of your dashboard.
3. Track each stage: feasibility approval, vendor installation, net metering, inspection and subsidy release.

DISCOM feasibility approval generally takes 7 to 30 days depending on the state and document verification.

Common reasons PM Surya Ghar applications are delayed or rejected

• Consumer number mismatch. The electricity consumer number entered does not match the DISCOM's records, so the application cannot be linked to a connection.
• Non-residential connection. The connection is commercial or industrial, which is outside the residential subsidy slabs.
• Roof ownership not established. The applicant cannot show ownership of the roof or the owner's consent to install.
• Unregistered vendor: installation done through a vendor not registered on the national portal for the DISCOM; the subsidy is released only for registered vendors.
• Net metering pending — the system is installed but the DISCOM inspection and commissioning certificate are not yet issued, so DBT cannot be triggered.
• Bank details error. The account is not correct or not linked, so the DBT credit fails.

Most delays are cleared by correcting the consumer or bank details on the portal and by ensuring the DISCOM feasibility and commissioning steps are completed in order.

Important dates and milestones

PM Surya Ghar was launched on 13 February 2024 with a target of 1 crore households by March 2027. By May 2026 the national portal had received more than 60 lakh applications, and over 31 lakh rooftop solar installations had been completed across the country, according to government updates. The Union Budget for 2026-27 raised the scheme's allocation to about Rs 22,000 crore, up from a revised estimate of roughly Rs 17,000 crore the previous year, signalling that the programme is being scaled up rather than wound down. The scheme is ongoing and there is no single closing date for applications; households can apply on the national portal at any time.

What is the timeline after you apply?

PM Surya Ghar moves through fixed stages, and knowing them helps you judge where your file is stuck:

• Feasibility approval by the DISCOM; usually 7 to 30 days after you register on the portal.
• Vendor installation: depends on the registered vendor's schedule and the system size, commonly a few days on site.
• Net-metering application and DISCOM inspection. The DISCOM checks the installation and issues a commissioning certificate.
• Subsidy credit by DBT. The central subsidy is paid straight to your bank account, typically within about 30 days of commissioning.

The subsidy cannot be taken as an upfront discount on the vendor's bill; it is always credited after the system is commissioned. If a vendor asks you to sign over the subsidy or pay a "subsidy processing" charge, that is not part of the scheme.

Help and grievance redressal

• National toll-free helpline: 15555
• National portal: pmsuryaghar.gov.in for applications, vendor lists and query tracking
• Your DISCOM for net-metering and inspection questions

PM Surya Ghar registration on the national portal is free. The subsidy is paid only into the applicant's own bank account, so no vendor or agent should ask you to hand over the subsidy amount.