India, July 16 -- Marking a landmark beginning in the under Green Panchayat scheme, a 500 kW ground-mounted solar power project was commissioned at Gram Panchayat Mamlig in Solan district on Wednesday. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who has taken major initiatives to generate solar power in the state inaugurated the project. The revenue generated from the project will be shared directly with the Panchayat for development and other welfare programmes. Under the Green Panchayat Scheme, the state is rolling out 500 kW ground-mounted solar plants across Gram Panchayats. "The electricity is sold to HPSEBL at a fixed rate, and the revenue is shared directly with the local Panchayats to fund village development and welfare programmes," said the chief minister.
The state has allowed private individuals and investors to set up ground-mounted solar projects ranging from 250 kW to 5 MW on a "first come, first served" basis Mamlig project, built at a cost of Rs 2 crore, began construction of the project began on December 23, 2024 and it was connected to the electricity grid on February 24, 2026. The Chief Minister said the project was currently generating around 3,000 units of clean electricity every day and was expected to produce nearly eight lakh units annually. Under the power purchase agreement, the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited would purchase the electricity at Rs 3.50 per unit, providing the state with clean energy as well as a stable source of long-term revenue. He said the project's biggest strength was its people-centric revenue-sharing model. 25 per cent of the income generated under this project would be used for development works in the Gram Panchayat, another 25 per cent on the welfare of orphans and widows, 20 per cent would go to the state government, 20 per cent to HIMURJA, and the remaining 10 per cent would be used for the operation and maintenance of the project.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.