Taking action against suspicious vendors registered under the PM Surya Ghar: Free Electricity Scheme, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued show-cause notices to several companies. UPNEDA will cancel the licenses of inactive solar rooftop vendors if they fail to justify their lack of progress.
The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA), the nodal agency implementing the scheme in the state, has sought explanations from these vendors for their inaction, noting that many have failed to complete even a single installation since empanelment.
UPNEDA states that the inaction by these vendors is hampering the progress of this ambitious scheme, launched to promote rooftop solar installations in the residential sector.
Failure to Meet Expectations
The notice issued by UPNEDA states, “You were empaneled as a vendor under the PM Surya Ghar: Free Electricity Scheme of the Government of India. At the time of empanelment, it was expected that you would actively contribute to the effective implementation of the scheme and install at least one rooftop solar power plant per day on average.”
The notice further states, “It is extremely concerning that you have not installed a single rooftop solar power plant since the date of empanelment. This clearly demonstrates that your contribution to this scheme of national importance has been zero.
You are therefore directed to submit an explanation immediately. In the absence of a satisfactory response, your vendor empanelment will be cancelled.”
Uttar Pradesh Sets a Target of 2.5 Million Rooftop Solar Power
Under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana, Uttar Pradesh has been assigned a significant target of connecting 2.5 million households with rooftop solar. In the past two years, the state has become one of the leading states in providing the highest number of rooftop solar connections under this scheme.
To accelerate the adoption of rooftop solar, the state government has issued several policy clarifications. As a result, the number of hybrid rooftop solar systems under the scheme is steadily increasing.