Delhi’s cabinet nod to revised rooftop solar power scheme

The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved the ‘Mukhyamantri Solar Power Scheme’, which offers residents who install rooftop solar panels a subsidy on their electricity bill for a period of five years from the existing three

The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved the ‘Mukhyamantri Solar Power Scheme’, which offers residents who install rooftop solar panels a subsidy on their electricity bill for a period of five years from the existing three.

New Delhi, India - May 13, 2018: Solar Power panel project inaugurated by Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi at Milan Apartments, IP Extension in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, May 13, 2018. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

A government spokesperson said since the existing scheme, Delhi Solar Policy 2016, was not catching up, they decided to extend the generation-based incentive (GBI) from three to five years with a new name. The government is already giving an incentive of Rs 2 per unit on solar generation for a three-year period, from 2016-17 to 2018-19, as per the Delhi Solar Policy 2016.

The cabinet chaired by CM Arvind Kejriwal also approved disbursal of GBI half-yearly instead of annually by discoms. The government pays the distribution companies as compensation for the GBI disbursed.

“Under the Renewable Energy Service Co model, the domestic consumer will not have to spend any money for the installation of solar panels. It will be done by select service providers,” power minister Satyendar Jain said. The cost of electricity generated through the solar power for group housing societies will be Rs 1 per unit. “The Delhi government will provide a subsidy of Rs 2 per unit to the societies,” he said.

Presently, nearly 105 MW of solar power installed in Delhi covers mostly government buildings such as DMRC (20 MW), DJB, technical institutions (DTU, NSIT, IP University, IGDTUW), to name a few, the minister said.

The cabinet also amended a scheme to grant ex-gratia payment to security personnel and other martyrs from Delhi. In July, the cabinet had decided to give Rs 1 crore compensation to the kin of martyrs killed on duty.

“Families of the security personnel living in Delhi for the last five years will also be covered in the scheme, irrespective of the state of joining of the personnel,” said revenue minister Kailash Gahlot. The final decision will be taken by the group of ministers headed by deputy CM Manish Sisodia.The amendment, he said, was made following the murder of Border Security Force head constable Narender Kumar on the India-Pakistan border. Hailing from Haryana, Kumar’s family lived in Delhi for some time.

The cabinet also gave its nod to a proposal of the social welfare department to provide assistance to non profit organisations for celebrating birth and death anniversaries of eminent personalities.