New Delhi: Union Government has marked the second anniversary of its flagship rooftop solar program, the PM-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, by introducing a new digital assistant aimed at accelerating adoption toward its goal of powering 1 crore households.
Speaking at a commemorative event titled “Scaling the Solar Home to 1 Crore Rooftops,” Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Joshi announced the launch of SUNtosh, a WhatsApp-based conversational assistant designed to simplify the consumer transition to renewable energy. The initiative represents a strategic shift toward citizen-centric digital tools to bypass traditional administrative barriers.
Secretary MNRE, Shri Santosh Sarangi said through SUNtosh, the new chat-based platform, consumers can register for the national program, calculate potential financial savings, determine recommended plant capacities, and estimate eligible government subsidies. The tool also addresses common deployment hurdles by connecting users directly with trusted regional vendors and customer support channels.
The launch comes amid rapid expansion for the scheme. During a panel session at the event, Union Minister said that the program currently benefits more than 41 lakh households nationwide. Officials expressed strong confidence that the pace of installations will drive that figure to 75 lakh households by the conclusion of this year, keeping the initiative on track to hit its ultimate 1 crore deployment target.
The landmark clean energy program, which carries a total central outlay of 75,021 crore rupees, provides direct financial assistance to households for installing rooftop solar units. Under the current framework, the government provides a subsidy of 30,000 rupees per kilowatt for systems up to two kilowatts, and an additional 18,000 rupees for the third kilowatt, capping the total central subsidy at 78,000 rupees.
In addition to deploying the new digital assistant, the Union Minister unveiled the official PM Surya Ghar logo and presented awards to key stakeholders, including state agencies, banking partners, and local vendors, whose field operations have driven the sharp rise in monthly installation volumes.
The event highlights the government’s broader strategy of combining substantial fiscal incentives with accessible, everyday technology to achieve energy self-reliance and sustainable domestic infrastructure.