Masali of Gujarat became India's first solar border village

Why in the news?

• Recently, Masali village of Gujarat has become the country's first solar border village.
• It is located 40 km from the Pakistan border in Banaskantha district of Gujarat.
• Under the PM Suryaghar Yojana, solar rooftops have been installed on a total of 119 houses in Masali village with a population of 800 people.
• More than 225 kilowatts of electricity is generated from the houses of this village.
• Rs 1 crore 16 lakh was spent to complete this project
  • In this, a subsidy of Rs 59.81 lakh under PM Suryaghar Yojana, public contribution of Rs 20.52 lakh and contribution of Rs 35.67 lakh was made under CSR.

PM Surya Ghar Yojana

• The Government of India launched the PM Surya Ghar: Free Electricity Scheme on February 29, 2024 to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity
• The outlay of the scheme is Rs 75,021 crore.
• It is to be implemented by FY 2026-27.
• The scheme provides a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2 kW capacity and 40 per cent of the additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3 kW capacity.
• The subsidy limit is restricted to 3 kW capacity.
• Who is eligible to apply for the scheme?
  • The applicant must be an Indian citizen.
  • Must have a house with a rooftop suitable for installing solar panels.
  • The house must have a valid electricity connection.
  • The family should not be availing any other subsidy for solar panels.
• The aim of this scheme is to promote the use of renewable energy in the country and protect the environment.