Budget 2024: Sitharaman Says 1 Crore Households to Get 300 Units Free Electricity 

New Delhi: The centre has made no changes in the Interim Budget for 2024-25 which was tabled by Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Thursday. In her speech, Sitharaman said the Narendra Modi government has decided to retain the same tax rates for direct and indirect taxes including import duties. 

However, there is some good news for the rural families in the budget presented by her. Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, Sitharaman said 1 crore households would get free electricity up to 300 units per month under this scheme. She added that these households would get rooftop solarisation enabled to receive free electricity. This scheme is aimed at providing electricity to low and middle-income families through rooftop solar installations. 

Under the Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana, each household would get photovoltaic panels, also known as rooftop solar panels, installed on the rooftops of their building and it will be connected to the main power supply unit. Once the rooftop solarisation gets functional, the household could save up to Rs 18,000 annually and they could also sell the surplus electricity to discoms. 

With rooftop solarisation, households could reduce their dependency on grid-connected electricity. The cost of installing rooftop solar panels ranges from Rs 2.20 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh based on kilowatt requirement, The government will also provide subsidies to applicants. 

Also Read: Budget 2024: Top 5 Remarks on Interim Budget