logo
Good News For Delhiites, Govt Approves Subsidy Of Up To Rs 1,08,000 On Solar Panels

Good News For Delhiites, Govt Approves Subsidy Of Up To Rs 1,08,000 On Solar Panels

News1820-05-2025
Last Updated:
Under the new scheme, Delhi residents who opt to install a 3-kilowatt solar panel system will receive a combined subsidy of up to Rs 1.08 lakh.
In a significant move to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and curb pollution, the Delhi government, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has approved an unprecedented solar subsidy package, the largest of its kind for the national capital. The announcement was made following a Delhi Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, May 20.
Under the new scheme, residents who opt to install a 3-kilowatt solar panel system will receive a combined subsidy of up to Rs 1.08 lakh. This includes Rs 78,000 already offered under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana (PMSGY) and an additional Rs 30,000 now pledged by the Delhi government.
'This is a historic moment for Delhi," said Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, while briefing the media. Until now, citizens received assistance only from the central government. But Chief Minister Rekha Gupta added Rs 30,000 more, raising the total benefit to over Rs 1 lakh, he said.
The state also announced a direct subsidy of Rs 10,000 for residents opting for a smaller 1-kW solar unit. Sirsa further revealed that financing arrangements have been made so that citizens will not have to pay any upfront costs. Banks will provide up to Rs 90,000 as financial assistance for a 3-kW system, which users can repay in monthly installments of approximately Rs 4,200.
Beyond renewable energy, the cabinet also approved a sweeping anti-pollution initiative aimed at tackling the city's air quality crisis ahead of the winter months. The Public Works Department (PWD) will deploy 210 water sprinklers and 70 mechanical road sweepers, while the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will install an additional 250 sprinklers across city roads. Smog guns, litter collection machines, and automated cleaning technologies will also be rolled out to reduce manual scavenging and improve sanitation efficiency.
'We are acting not just for today, but for the future of Delhi," Sirsa said, adding, 'These measures will significantly reduce dust and particulate matter before the smog season sets in."
Marking the 100-day milestone of the Rekha Gupta administration, Sirsa touted the progress as 'unbelievable," crediting the chief minister's round-the-clock dedication. People will be stunned when they hear the 100-day report. The scale of development underway is truly historic, he said.
First Published:
May 20, 2025, 19:10 IST
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

​Required reforms: on reforms to the GST system
​Required reforms: on reforms to the GST system

The Hindu

time29 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

​Required reforms: on reforms to the GST system

The central government's proposals to reform the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system are bold and timely. They stand to benefit the middle class and the business community, as the government claims. Shifting 99% of the items in the 12% slab to a 5% tax rate, and 90% of the items in the 28% slab to 18% will substantially reduce the tax burden on most consumers. Rationalising the number of slabs and shifting similar products to the same slab will also reduce ambiguity and litigation, which are the major issues businesses have with the current GST setup. Further, while most of the focus has been captured by the rate restructuring proposals, the procedural reforms regarding registration, return filing and refunds are equally important. Simplifying GST is not just about reducing the multiplicity of rates but also about making it easier and less time-consuming for tax-payers to navigate the system. Easing registration, simplifying returns and speeding up refunds, therefore, are welcome improvements the Centre is pursuing. Combined with the new Income Tax Bill and the rejig of income-tax slabs in this year's Budget, these GST reforms will highlight 2025 as a watershed year for tax reform — direct as well as indirect tax. While the government has not made an official estimate of what the revenue impact of these reductions will be, sources have said that it expects a hit. Two years ago, the Reserve Bank of India had estimated that the average GST rate was 11.6%, which is now expected to fall substantially. However, the government is confident that an increase in consumption and a widening of the tax base will offset most of the revenue loss. With a large number of items set to be taxed at just 5%, the incentives for input tax credit scams and tax evasion will also be substantially removed. A willingness to risk some amount of revenue in order to boost domestic consumption bodes well for the economy, especially at a time when export demand is faltering due to tariff uncertainties. It remains to be seen how the State governments will react to this proposed revenue surrender. They have already been lobbying the Sixteenth Finance Commission to increase the share of States in central taxes. These tax cuts will also make it even more unlikely that petroleum products — a major source of States' revenues — will be included in the GST any time soon. Politically, it will be difficult for the States to directly oppose these rate reductions, but they might instead pressure the Centre for compensation once again. Crucially, the Centre will be reaching out to the States over the next few weeks to put forth its case. It is important that their concerns are taken on board as well.

CPI urges government to form expert committee to release Tamil Nadu Labour Policy
CPI urges government to form expert committee to release Tamil Nadu Labour Policy

The Hindu

time29 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

CPI urges government to form expert committee to release Tamil Nadu Labour Policy

The 26th State Conference of the Communist Party of India (CPI) demanded that the Tamil Nadu government release the State's Labour Policy. The four-day conference, which began on August 15 in Salem, concluded with a rally and public meeting on Monday evening. During the conference, the CPI passed several resolutions. One of the key resolutions criticised the Centre for consolidating 44 labour welfare laws into four labour codes, against which workers across the country have been protesting. Anti-labour provisions The resolution stated that the anti-labour provisions in these codes were being gradually implemented in Tamil Nadu. The CPI highlighted the lack of job regularisation in the State, noting that workers were increasingly being recruited through outsourcing in government and government-related sectors. These workers face job insecurity and receive no monetary benefits upon exit. The resolution pointed out that over 3 crore workers in the State earn around ₹12,000 as salary, and that implementing such policies under pressure from big corporates and the Centre contradicts the ideals of the 'Dravidian model' of governance. The CPI urged the State government to form an expert committee and, based on its recommendations, release the Tamil Nadu Labour Policy — similar to the release of the State Education Policy and Industrial Policy — to ensure a dignified life for workers. The party also demanded that the State government refrain from outsourcing local body work to private entities; fix minimum wages for workers in government-related sectors; ensure the safety of inter-caste couples; and implement the law preventing honour killings. The CPI strongly condemned the Union Petroleum Ministry for publishing a photo of RSS leader V.D. Savarkar alongside Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, and Subhas Chandra Bose. It demanded an apology from the Ministry and action against those responsible. Additionally, the CPI condemned the police's treatment of conservancy workers in Chennai. Defamatory statements Speaking at the public meeting, CPI State secretary R. Mutharasan criticised AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami for aligning with the BJP despite previously promising not to do so. He accused Mr. Palaniswami of spreading defamatory statements against the Left parties and asserted that the AIADMK-BJP alliance would be defeated in the 2026 Assembly election. CPI general secretary D. Raja highlighted the party's history, noting that both CPI and RSS were founded in 1925. He said while the CPI fought battles during the British period for the freedom struggle, the RSS did not participate in the movement. He added that the RSS was banned following Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, yet Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the organisation in his Independence Day speech. Mr. Raja called for strengthening the CPI to ensure adequate representation in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. He also criticised India's silence on the genocide in Gaza, stating that historically, India had always supported the Palestinian cause. He concluded by announcing that the CPI's national conference would soon be held in Punjab and emphasised the party's responsibility to work with democratic forces to unseat the BJP at the Centre.

Trinamool Leader Anubrata Mondal Gets Bail In Police Officer Abuse Case
Trinamool Leader Anubrata Mondal Gets Bail In Police Officer Abuse Case

NDTV

time43 minutes ago

  • NDTV

Trinamool Leader Anubrata Mondal Gets Bail In Police Officer Abuse Case

Bolpur: A court in West Bengal's Birbhum district on Monday granted bail to TMC leader Anubrata Mondal after he surrendered in the court and moved an anticipatory relief petition in connection with the case of alleged use of abusive and derogatory language during a telephonic conversation with a police officer. Mondal's plea on health grounds was accepted by Judicial Magistrate Banikbrata Dutta of Bolpur Subdivision Court on a surety of Rs 1,000 and on condition that he will continue to cooperate with the probe and meet the investigating officer (IO) when summoned, court officials said. In a leaked four-minute telephonic conversation between Mondal and Bolpur police station inspector-in-charge Litan Halder on May 29 this year, the authenticity of which PTI couldn't independently verify, the Birbhum Trinamool Congress leader was heard hurling invectives at the police officer and threatening his wife and mother. Left red-faced by the audio-clip, the party issued him a four-hour apology deadline and a suo motu FIR was lodged against him by the police. Mondal was issued police summons and his security details withdrawn. Faced with party annoyance, Mondal tendered written apologies to both the police officer and the TMC state president Subrata Bakshi but avoided responding to the initial summons from Bolpur Police. On June 6, seven days after the purported audio clip surfaced, Mondal appeared before the Bolpur SDPO where his cell phone was reportedly inspected. Mondal arrived at the Bolpur Subdivision Court around 10.40 am on Monday for his voluntary surrender and his bail hearing was taken up post 2 pm. "The court granted him bail considering his age and the physical ailments he suffers from. There are no pre-conditions to his bail," said Nupur Dutta Banerjee, Mondal's counsel. "I had submitted before the court that the IO in this case did not duly comply with the notice served to Mondal under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which outlines the procedure for police to issue a notice to individuals in cognisable offenses where arrest isn't immediately necessary," said Phiroj Pal, government lawyer, confirming that he opposed the bail prayer. "Secondly, we are still not privy to the police's case diary (CD) and have no idea how far the investigations in this case have so far progressed. We wanted the court to wait till we had the CD in our hand," he added. Pal said that the court was prima facie satisfied with the petitioner's submission that Mondal has cooperated with the police and that there has been no progress in the probe for a formidable period. In September 2024, Mondal was granted bail in the multi-crore cattle smuggling case when he stepped out of the Tihar Jail after remaining imprisoned for over two years.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store