Hold awareness campaigns on solar energy across villages, officials told

Tirupati: District Collector Dr S Venkateswar has stressed the need for comprehensive awareness programmes on solar energy production and utilisation at the village level.

He held a review meeting on Tuesday which was attended by key officials including district NEDCAP manager Dilip Kumar Reddy, APSPDCL SE Surendranayudu, district panchayat officer Susila Devi and NABARD assistant manager Srinivasulu Reddy.

The Collector directed officials to initiate awareness campaigns across villages, emphasising the environmental and pollution-free benefits of solar energy.

He encouraged officials to develop actionable plans to make solar energy accessible for public use, promoting it as a sustainable energy source. Highlighting government support, he referenced Central and State initiatives, including the ‘PM Surya Ghar Mukht Bijli Yojana’, which aims to foster solar energy usage in households.

The Collector also announced the formation of a seven-member committee to oversee the implementation of this scheme in the district, with himself as Chairperson.

Other committee members include ZP CEO, lead bank manager, SPDCL superintendent engineer and NEDCAP official.

The district panchayat officer has been directed to identify villages with population over 5,000 for this initiative. The selected villages will be announced at the upcoming district-level committee meeting on November 19.

Through this scheme, residents will be able to install solar panels on their rooftops, supported by government subsidies. Interested applicants can apply through the PM Surya Ghar portal, with subsidies allocated based on capacity: Rs 30,000 for 1 KW, Rs 60,000 for 2 KW and Rs 78,000 for units above 3 KW. These subsidies will be directly deposited into beneficiaries’ accounts.

In phase-1 of the solar initiative, officials are also planning solar installations in government offices exceeding 100 KW.

The Collector has instructed the identification of five villages to serve as model solar villages, aiming to transform them through the full integration of solar energy. The district NEDCAP manager informed the Collector that 122 government offices in the district have already been marked for solar implementation, highlighting the district’s commitment to a sustainable energy future.