Now Reading: West Bengal solar rooftop installations surge 7 times since May
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West Bengal solar rooftop installations surge 7 times since May
The Story in Brief
Rooftop solar installations in West Bengal under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana have risen nearly seven times since the new state government took charge, according to Hindustan Times. The number of installations went from 1,477 on 30 April 2026 to 10,146 as of 15 October 2026, with total subsidy released rising from Rs 4.21 crore to Rs 34.62 crore.
Officials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said the previous TMC-led state government had resisted the scheme, but the new BJP-led government, which took over on 9 May 2026, has focused on facilitation. The central scheme targets 10 million households by March 2027, with around 6.3 million covered so far. Gujarat leads states with Rs 6,374.71 crore in subsidies allocated.
Separately, the Economic Times reports that over 1 lakh power consumers in Delhi have registered for rooftop solar connections within a month of a dedicated portal launch. Delhi Power minister Ashish Sood credited the response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and said the city aims to provide 230,000 free installations by March 2027.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Hindustan Times frames the surge as a direct result of the state government change, quoting officials who blamed the previous TMC administration for resistance. The story leads with the seven-fold installation jump and contrasts West Bengal's past poor performance. The Economic Times, meanwhile, covers a separate but related story in Delhi, focusing on the 1-lakh registration milestone and attributing it to central and state cooperation. Both outlets present the central scheme positively, Hindustan Times adds a political angle absent from the neutral-report framing of the Economic Times. The combined reading suggests that state-level political alignment matters for scheme rollout, but the data itself shows rising adoption in both states. The concrete watch item is whether West Bengal's monthly installation pace continues to climb towards the March 2027 national target.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 neutral
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com (pro government), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
