ADILABAD: In a shift towards renewable energy, government subsidies and loans to women SHGs are resulting in a spike in solar rooftops in villages.
With thermal power costing more and increasing demand for power, the government is promoting and allotting solar units for 300 mandals in the first phase of its project. Each mandal will receive 30 solar units.
While 40 per cent of the total cost is waived off as a subsidy, the beneficiary has to bear 10 per cent of the cost upfront, as 50 per cent is covered under ‘Stree Nidhi’ loans. Beneficiaries will have five years to clear the loan.
TRS MLAs, MPs and ministers are also promoting solar power during their visits to villages, and rural and tribal regions of Adilabad.
Asifabad ZP chairman Kova Laxmi said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has prioritised renewable energy to reduce environmental pollution. She said that the sector will get a boost and that solar energy will prove more consumer friendly.
While a 160 square-foot area is a prerequisite for installing a unit, the conditions may be altered for beneficiaries, Laxmi said.
