A successful transition to new and renewable energy sources by the world’s fastest-growing major economy won’t only serve as a template for other countries but will also help firmly position it as a global green energy hub.
A day after the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana or Prime Minister’s free electricity scheme for residential rooftop solar was outlined in the Interim Budget in February, former Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh was interacting with the media in New Delhi. The straight-talking former bureaucrat told Infrastructure Today. “The [intended] beneficiaries will be identified through surveys of their rooftops. We are initially targeting 10 million beneficiaries. However, the number is likely to go up.” With Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition winning a third term in office, Singh’s successor Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi in the MNRE Ministry has to ensure a successful rollout of the world’s biggest transition to green energy sources, which includes the rooftop solar scheme.