UPSC Prelims 2025 Q70: PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana — Explained

Consider the following statements about 'PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana':

I. It targets installation of one crore solar rooftop panels in the residential sector.

II. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy aims to impart training on installation, operation, maintenance and repairs of solar rooftop systems at grassroot levels.

III. It aims to create more than three lakhs skilled manpower through fresh skilling, and up-skilling, under scheme component of capacity building.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

I and II only
I and III only
II and III only
I, II and III

Answer: (d) I, II and III

Statement-wise explanation

I: correct — The Union Cabinet approved PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana on 29 February 2024 with an outlay of ₹75,021 crore. Its aim is to install rooftop solar in one crore households, all in the residential sector, and give them up to 300 units of free electricity a month. The government aims to reach this target by March 2027.
II: correct — MNRE issued Operational Guidelines for the scheme's 'Capacity Building' component on 18 July 2024. They say the Ministry intends to train people at grassroots level in the installation, operation, maintenance and repair of rooftop solar systems. The goal is to have trained technicians, installers, engineers, supervisors and vendors ready to support one crore installations.
III: correct — The same Capacity Building guidelines set a target of more than three lakh skilled workers, created through fresh skilling and up-skilling. At least one lakh of them are to be Solar PV Technicians. REC Ltd is the National Programme Implementing Agency for this component.

How to eliminate

Statement I is the scheme's headline target: one crore households with rooftop solar. Most aspirants who followed the 2024 Budget and Cabinet news would know it, and it rules out the option that leaves I out. Statements II and III are close paraphrases of MNRE's July 2024 Capacity Building guidelines. Neither contains an absolute word such as 'only' or 'all' that would hint it is false. Statement II is also a reasonable expectation: a scheme for one crore rooftop systems needs trained installers and maintenance workers in villages and towns, so it is hard to reject. Statement III gives a precise figure, three lakh, and that cannot be checked by logic alone. You have to remember it. The fact to keep: Capacity Building component, more than 3 lakh skilled workers, at least 1 lakh of them Solar PV Technicians. When a scheme question restates a government's own stated aims in mild language, all the statements are often correct.

Know more

PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is MNRE's flagship rooftop solar scheme for homes. It was announced on 13 February 2024 and approved by the Cabinet on 29 February 2024.

Feature	Detail
Outlay	₹75,021 crore (to FY 2026-27)
Target	Rooftop solar in 1 crore households
Benefit	Up to 300 units of free electricity a month
Central Financial Assistance (CFA)	60% of cost up to 2 kW; 40% of the extra cost from 2 to 3 kW; capped at 3 kW
CFA at benchmark prices	₹30,000 (1 kW), ₹60,000 (2 kW), ₹78,000 (3 kW or more)
Model Solar Village	One per district, to show rural households what rooftop solar can do
Capacity Building	More than 3 lakh skilled workers, at least 1 lakh of them Solar PV Technicians
Implementing agency (skilling)	REC Ltd, as National Programme Implementing Agency

How it works. A household applies on the national portal and picks a registered vendor. The DISCOM (electricity distribution company) installs a net meter, and the CFA is paid straight into the household's bank account. Surplus power goes back to the grid and is credited against the bill. This is why many households end up with a zero bill.

Why skilling matters. One crore rooftop systems need people who can install them, inspect them, commission net meters and repair them. So the scheme has a separate Capacity Building component, run with the Ministry of Skill Development through ITIs and training partners. It builds on MNRE's older Suryamitra programme for Solar PV Technicians, run through the National Institute of Solar Energy.

Other components. The scheme also covers incentives for DISCOMs, saturation of government buildings with rooftop solar, and a separate component for innovative projects. Rooftop solar also helps India's target of 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030.

In the news

The scheme was launched in February 2024 and was among the most-reported government schemes of 2024–25. MNRE released its Capacity Building guidelines in July 2024, and that text supplies the exact wording of Statements II and III. The scheme passed 10 lakh installations in March 2025, two months before the exam.

NCERT Concepts to Revise

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: The scheme itself: launch year, outlay and purpose, which you need to judge the target in Statement I.
Solar photovoltaic power: The skilling component trains 'Solar PV Technicians'; knowing what photovoltaic power is explains what they install and maintain.
Net metering: Rooftop systems under the scheme connect to the grid through net meters, which trained DISCOM staff must commission.