SRINAGAR, October 22, 2026 – Jammu and Kashmir is racing against the clock to meet its ambitious targets under the ‘PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’, with official projections indicating the Union Territory could fall significantly short by the March 31, 2027 deadline.
With under six months remaining, J&K needs to install another 37,367 rooftop solar systems to achieve its overall target of 83,500 homes. To meet this goal, authorities must complete approximately 6,227 installations every month. However, the current pace stands at just 3,261 installations per month. If this speed persists, the Power Development Department (PDD) estimates a shortfall of nearly 17,800 installations by the deadline.
Despite these looming challenges, the region has already achieved 55.24 percent of its target, successfully installing solar systems on 46,133 rooftops and generating a combined capacity of 165.24 MW. The Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has completed 28,324 of its 44,000 target (64.38 percent), while the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) has managed 17,809 installations.
However, the administration has raised serious concerns regarding vendor conduct and financial bottlenecks that are threatening to derail the momentum. Out of 983 registered vendors, only about 300 are actively operating in J&K. Highlighting that vendor delays are severely damaging public trust, the authorities have initiated a crackdown. KPDCL recently blacklisted one vendor, and show-cause notices have been issued to 41 inactive vendors in the JPDCL region and 10 in KPDCL.
Bank financing presents another massive hurdle. With approximately 75 percent of rooftop solar installations in the Kashmir region relying on bank loans, the rejection rate has become a pressing issue. Out of 61,566 loan applications submitted across J&K, a staggering 17,416 have been rejected—with 14,232 of those rejections originating in the KPDCL area alone.
To ease the financial friction, the PDD has proposed exploring a waiver of the co-borrower requirement for senior citizens who are pensioners. Furthermore, the administration highlighted that the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has not released awareness and outreach funds for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years, which is severely impacting vendor mobilization and grassroots campaigning. Technical manpower shortages and intermittent supplies of Tier-1 solar modules are also adding to the operational strain.
As the deadline approaches, the success of the PM Surya Ghar scheme in J&K now heavily relies on seamless coordination between banks, active vendors, and government authorities to clear the remaining roadblocks.
Published by True Roots Media Network