Latest news with #GruhaJyothi
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
PM Surya Ghar scheme: Karnataka moves at snail's pace
The introduction of the Gruha Jyothi scheme, along with the lack of ease in installation process, has contributed to the slow progress of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, under which subsidy is provided for the installation of rooftop solar systems to residential consumers, in Karnataka. The State so far had only 10,022 installations which is the lowest in South India. The latest data by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to the Rajya Sabha shows that there are 80,856 installations under the scheme in Kerala, 29,211 in Tamil Nadu, 16,556 in Andhra Pradesh, and 13,677 in Telangana. According to data by electricity supply companies (escoms), since the introduction of the scheme in 2022, across five escoms 2,21,273 applications have been received for the scheme, but not all of them have resulted in installations. Bescom has the maximum number of installations (4,245), while Gescom has the least (539), despite the region receiving ample sunlight throughout the year making it ideal for solar generation. 'When the Surya Ghar programme was launched, many people mistakenly believed that it offered fully subsidised rooftop solar systems. They assumed they could install solar panels at no cost, generate electricity for personal use, and earn income by selling the surplus to the grid. This misunderstanding led to a surge in applications,' a senior officer from Gescom explained. The utility has received over 10,000 applications for the scheme. He further cited the State's Gruha Jyothi scheme, which offers free electricity for households consuming up to 200 units a month, as another reason for the limited uptake. 'When people are already receiving free power, they are understandably reluctant to invest their own money in rooftop solar installations,' he said. 'To address this, we are now shifting focus towards households that consume over 200 units per month, as they have a clear incentive to adopt the Surya Ghar programme.' Commenting on the overall slow progress of the State under the scheme, Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department, said that the scheme stagnated in the vendor selection stage. 'When the scheme was introduced, everyone applied. But when it came to the selection of vendors and banks online, they did not go ahead with it as they realised they had to take out a loan to get the subsidy. When there is free power under Gruha Jyothi scheme, they were not willing to take out loans to set up solar plants. None of them selected vendors and the process went into limbo.' Out of over 2 lakh people who had applied for the scheme, only 19,103 went for vendor selection, the data shows. The Energy Department now looks to pursue more consumers to opt for gross metering (under which the electricity generated will be sold directly to the grid instead of domestic consumption). 'People now feel that they will not get return on investment if they invest in solar plants residentially. Hence, Energy Minister K.J. George recently held a review and said that in order to provide some kind of benefit to consumers, we will push more electricity into the grid instead of domestic consumption (net metering). The rates will be applicable as per the tariff determined by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC)'. Consumers' side For consumers, what keeps them away from going ahead with the process is the hurdles they face along the way. Many of them complain that vendors and the sub-division officers demand bribes which deters them from going ahead with the installation. Rohit Agasarahalli, a lecturer by profession from Shivamogga district, said that at the time of constructing his house, he had taken permission for the load of 1 kW. But he wanted to extend it to 5 kW to avail himself of the PM Surya Ghar scheme. 'The process of enhancing the load took a lot of time,' he said. At one point he was so fed up that he wanted to give up. However, he continued and got the load extension. 'Finally, it worked out and I got the system installed. The subsidy amount was released once the generation started,' he said. He said that in order to make the scheme attractive, it should be made more consumer friendly. 'The system should be so simple that the beneficiary should be paying the required fee and expense, and the implementing agency or the vendor should be handling the rest of the work, including the extension of the load allotted. Then, people might opt for the scheme,' he stated. (With inputs from Kumar Buradikatti and Sathish G.T.)
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Hassan DC urges public to utilise govt schemes
Hassan: Deputy commissioner KS Latha Kumari urged the public to take advantage of the available govt schemes. The DC addressed the gathering after inaugurating the 'Progress Towards Karnataka' exhibition, celebrating two years of govt achievements, at the new KSRTC bus station in Hassan, on Wednesday. The officials are working to provide benefits under various govt schemes to eligible individuals. The exhibition aims to provide more information about them. During the event, feedback was gathered from women regarding the benefits they are receiving, like Rs 2,000 under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, rations under the Anna Bhagya scheme, free electricity under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, and free bus travel for women under the Shakti scheme. It was noted that the general public is finding these schemes beneficial. At that time, when a woman mentioned that her widow pension was not received for the past three to four months, the deputy commissioner immediately contacted the officials concerned to investigate and ensure the provision of the benefit. She also emphasised the importance of cleanliness at the bus station, called for better vigilance to prevent theft of passengers' belongings, and instructed the divisional control officers to ensure that the bus services do not cause any inconvenience to school and college students. Zilla panchayat chief executive officer BR Poornima, KSRTC divisional controller Deepak, and others were present.
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Zero power bills drop by nearly one lakh in two months in Dakshina Kannada
The zero bills generated by Mescom under the Gruha Jyothi scheme fell by nearly a lakh in May when compared to March in Dakshina Kannada. The company sources attribute the dip to higher electricity consumption in the peak summer month of May, when Gruha Jyothi consumers exceeded their free consumption limit of 200 units per month. According to Mescom, 551,116 consumers registered for the scheme in March. Of this, 3.13 lakh (56.9%) received zero bills, while 2.37 lakh (43.1%) were billed according to their power consumption for the month. In May, the number of registered Gruha Jyothi customers increased to 5,51,150, with the addition of 34 new consumers. Of them, however, 2.15 lakh (39.02%) consumers received zero bills, while the rest, 3.36 lakh (60.97%), received regular power bills—an increase of 98,572 from last year. Bharath Mundodi, Chairman of the District Guarantee Scheme Implementation Committee, told The Hindu that it is puzzling to note that the number of zero bills dropped by nearly a lakh in two months. 'Due to paucity of time, we could not discuss this matter in the Karnataka Development Programme Review Committee meeting held in Mangaluru on July 30. I will take it up with Mescom officials in the meeting of the guarantee implementation committee to be held soon,' Mr. Mundodi said. A Mescom official stated that electricity meters were read using the probe reading method, where hand-held billing machines are connected to the meters via a wire, and the exact meter reading is recorded, according to which the bill is generated. There is no scope for tampering with the meter reading through this method, the official said.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Expo on state govt's achievements at bus terminus
Ballari: An exhibition highlighting the state govt's achievements over the past two years has been set up at the Central Bus Terminus on Tank Bund Road. Mayor Mullangi Nandish on Friday inaugurated the exhibition being organised in collaboration with the district administration, zilla panchayat, information and public relations department, and KKRTC (Ballari division). "The Congress govt in Karnataka has reached the two-year mark and successfully implemented the five guarantee schemes promised to the people of the state, enhancing their living standards. The expo will showcase the same," said the Mayor. K E Chidanandappa, chairman of the district guarantee schemes implementation authority, said the govt, led by chief minister Siddaramaiah, honoured its commitments. The exhibition features information on several initiatives, including the state govt's ambitious programmes like Shakti Yojana, Annabhagya, Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyothi, and Yuva Nidhi, with an additional display illustrating the district's development. ADC Mohammed Zaber N said information on how to access the benefits of these govt-implemented schemes is also being shared.
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Gruha Jyothi scheme has seen 99% success in Mysuru district: George
Energy Minister K.J. George on Wednesday said Mysuru district had achieved a 99% success rate in the implementation of the Gruha Jyothi scheme, which provides free electricity to eligible households. Speaking to the mediapersons after a departmental progress review meeting, the Minister said the State government allocates ₹9,000 crore annually to Escoms under the guarantee scheme of supplying free power to the beneficiaries. Mr. George promised that in the event of a transformer failure, restoration will be completed within 24 hours in urban areas and within 48 hours in rural areas. During the meeting, K.R. Nagar MLA, D. Ravishankar, raised concerns about the conduct of CESC staff and linemen, alleging that they were unresponsive and discourteous towards farmers. Responding to the complaint, the Minister stated that strict action would be taken against any official or lineman found misbehaving with farmers. All staff must handle power-related grievances with courtesy and responsibility, he instructed. CESC managing director K.M. Munigopal Raju informed that the underground cabling work in Mysuru city is progressing well and will be completed in the next two years. Despite damage caused by recent heavy rains, emergency measures have been initiated to restore power supply and maintain infrastructure. He said power projects across the CESC jurisdiction are being implemented efficiently and on schedule.
