Patna, September 2026: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday launched several initiatives of the Energy Department at the Energy Auditorium in Patna, including the Chief Minister Solar Promotion Scheme. The scheme was inaugurated through remote unveiling of its plaque.
Under the scheme, the state government will provide additional financial assistance to beneficiaries installing rooftop solar plants under the Centre's PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
Chief Minister Choudhary said beneficiaries installing a 1 kW solar plant would receive an additional Rs 10,000 from the Bihar government, over and above the Rs 30,000 central assistance. Those installing 2 kW and 3 kW systems will receive additional state assistance of Rs 20,000 each, taking the total central and state support to Rs 80,000 and Rs 98,000, respectively.
The Chief Minister said promoting solar energy would reduce electricity expenses for consumers and also lower the subsidy burden on the state government. Bihar currently has around 2.22 crore electricity connections, including nearly 1.94 crore domestic connections. Of these, around 1.60 crore households have been receiving zero electricity bills for the past year.
The state government currently spends around Rs 23,000 crore annually on electricity subsidy, of which nearly Rs 5,000 crore is spent on subsidy for the agricultural sector alone. Choudhary said connecting agricultural feeders with solar power could help reduce this expenditure.
He said work would be undertaken over the next two years to make agricultural feeders 100 per cent solar-powered, enabling farmers to receive solar-generated electricity during the daytime, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. This would ensure adequate electricity supply to farmers while potentially saving the government around Rs 5,000 crore in agricultural electricity subsidy.
The Chief Minister directed the Energy Department to prepare a detailed action plan in this regard.
Highlighting the rapid expansion of Bihar's electricity infrastructure, Choudhary said the state's electricity consumption had increased substantially. While consumption was around 350 MW earlier, it has now risen to nearly 10,000 MW. Keeping in view the growing requirements of industries and other sectors, the government has set a target of creating infrastructure to support 20,000 MW of electricity over the next five years.
He stressed that merely increasing power generation would not be sufficient. Transmission, distribution, grid infrastructure, wires and other supporting systems would also have to be strengthened.
The Chief Minister said the state government purchases electricity at relatively cheaper rates during the daytime, while power purchased between 6 p.m. and 10-11 p.m. can cost Rs 18-19 per unit. Therefore, he stressed the need to expand solar power along with power storage and battery storage systems.
He said Bihar would encourage investment in solar power, battery storage, pumped storage and other green-energy sectors. Work is also underway to formulate a policy for green hydrogen, which, he said, could attract investments of around Rs 16,000 crore in the state.
Choudhary also announced incentives for local bodies performing well in promoting solar energy. A Rs 1 lakh incentive will be given to the best-performing panchayat in each district. Similarly, municipal corporations will receive Rs 1 lakh, municipal councils Rs 75,000, and nagar panchayats Rs 50,000 as incentives.
He appealed to Energy Department officials and employees to visit villages and spread awareness among people about the benefits of solar energy and the financial assistance being provided by the government.
The Chief Minister urged eligible families to install solar plants on their homes. He said he had himself installed a 13 kW solar plant at his residence.
Referring to the Chief Minister's residence, Choudhary said former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had already installed a 190 kW solar plant there, because of which the electricity bill of the Chief Minister's residence was zero.
He also highlighted the importance of net metering, saying consumers could benefit from electricity generated in excess of household requirements. He said smart meters provide consumers with accurate information about electricity consumption and billing.
Choudhary said affordable and adequate electricity was essential for the expansion of industries in Bihar. The state government was therefore working to strengthen the electricity sector through solar power, storage systems, batteries and other energy sources.
A committee has been constituted to undertake a comprehensive review of the state's energy infrastructure. Based on its report, a future action plan will be prepared to make Bihar self-reliant in the energy sector.
The Chief Minister also said the development of Bihar was not solely the responsibility of the government but a collective responsibility of its 14 crore residents. He called for coordinated efforts by all departments and citizens to advance the vision of a developed India and the goal of a prosperous Bihar.
He also said that the rule of law prevails in Bihar and that criminal acts would invite action irrespective of the identity of the accused.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inspected stalls put up by various companies associated with solar energy at the Energy Auditorium and interacted with officials.
During the programme, Choudhary flagged off nine solar chariots for a public awareness campaign across all divisions of Bihar under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
The state government also distributed additional financial assistance to 25,000 beneficiaries under the scheme.
An MoU was signed between power distribution companies and JEEViKA to promote the use of solar energy in the state with the support of JEEViKA's community-level women workers.
A video film highlighting the achievements of the Energy Department and the benefits of solar energy was also screened.
Through video conferencing, the Chief Minister interacted with beneficiaries from Supaul, Nalanda and Munger and congratulated them for adopting solar energy.
Deputy Chief Ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Energy Minister Shailesh Kumar alias Bullo Mandal, Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar, Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, Energy Secretary and BSPHCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director Ajay Yadav, Chief Minister's Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, JEEViKA Chief Executive Officer Himanshu Sharma, SBPDCL Managing Director Saurabh Jorwal, BSPTCL Managing Director Naval Kishore Choudhary and other senior officials, beneficiaries and members of the public were present at the programme.
