57 Vidarbha villages among 63 from state vying for model solar village tag
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Nagpur: As many as 63 villages across Maharashtra will be vying for the model solar village tag. The govt has launched the initiative to establish one model solar village in every district of the country under the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme.
Notably, 57 of the 63 villages picked from Maharashtra belong to the Vidarbha region. The village that installs the highest solar energy capacity within six months will be declared the winner and will receive a grant of Rs1 crore from the central govt. The selected villages include 26 from Akola, 15 from Buldhana, nine from Wardha, six each from Parbhani and Bhandara, and one village from Gondia.
Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (
MSEDCL
) has already launched a solar village scheme aimed at making 100 villages in the state energy independent by adopting solar energy.
So far, 14 villages have achieved this status. The central govt's model solar village competition is expected to give a further push to this mission. MSEDCL has been appointed as the nodal agency for implementing the scheme in Maharashtra.
Villages with a population of at least 5,000 are eligible to participate. "Currently, villages were shortlisted from six districts, most of them from Vidarbha. Under the scheme, rooftop solar systems will be installed in homes through the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, and public utilities such as streetlights and water supply schemes will be shifted to solar energy," a MSEDCL press release stated.
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At the end of the contest period, the total installed solar capacity will be assessed, and one top-performing village from each district will receive a Rs 1 crore grant.
"District-level committees were formed to coordinate the implementation and ensure smooth execution. These committees are responsible for selecting the villages and monitoring their progress during the competition," the press release added.
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