India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is accelerating clean energy access in remote tribal regions through the New Solar Power Scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) and Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA). The scheme provides 100 percent Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for off-grid solar systems in areas where extending the electricity grid is not techno-economically feasible.
The programme supports the installation of 0.3 kW off-grid solar systems for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) and tribal households, providing up to Rs.50,000 per household or the actual project cost, whichever is lower.
It also offers Rs.1 lakh per Multi-Purpose Centre (MPC) for solar street lighting and lighting facilities in PVTG areas under PM-JANMAN, while public institutions under DAJGUA are eligible for Rs.1 lakh per kW, with a maximum sanctioned capacity of 20 kW per institution.
As of June 30, 2026, the government had released Rs 57.10 crore in Central Financial Assistance under the New Solar Power Scheme. The initiative aims to electrify 1 lakh un-electrified tribal and PVTG households identified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs using off-grid solar systems. It also includes the solarisation of 1,500 Multi-Purpose Centres in PVTG areas approved under PM-JANMAN.
Implementation is progressing steadily, with 11,838 households already electrified through off-grid solar systems across multiple states as of June 30, 2026, bringing reliable electricity to remote communities beyond the reach of conventional power infrastructure.
India’s Ministry of Power is expanding grid connectivity under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Projects worth Rs 521.45 crore, backed by Rs 331.49 crore in gross budgetary support, have been sanctioned across 13 states to provide grid electricity to 1,39,126 PVTG households. As of July 24, 2026, 1,38,620 PVTG households had already been connected to the electricity grid.
India government clarified that no subsidy is currently available for small shopkeepers or commercial establishments to install rooftop solar systems. It confirmed that no proposal is under consideration to introduce a new subsidy scheme for commercial solar adoption by small businesses in tribal regions, according to Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy.
SHAFANA FAZAL
