Tripura makes remarkable progress in renewable energy harnessing through solar power

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, March 30, 2026

Tripura has made remarkable progress in harnessing renewable energy through solar power, as highlighted yesterday by the prime minister Narendra Modi in his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baath’ speech broadcast across the country. This has been achieved by setting up soar microgrid in different parts of the state whereby consumers can enjoy free power supply.

Speaking on the issue the minister for power Ratan Lal Nath who is leading the movement for harnessing solar energy said that at present altogether 12,103 families are enjoying free power in as many as 347 remote human habitations of the state. These have been given free at the cost of the government while in other cases installations of solar panels and other infrastructures are heavily subsidised. The households given solar power connections can have three lights within rooms and one outside and these help the indigenous people, mainly students, to study at night , charge mobiles and weave clothes.

“Apart from these pumps run on solar power now irrigate 40 thousand ‘Kanis’ of cropland and altogether 7951 agriculturist families are beneficiaries of this project; this is also heavily subsidised as the government spends Rs 2.86 lakhs for installation per family while the families incur an expense of Rs 15 thousand each only” said Ratan Lal Nath. In the days to come 3 lakh families will be given solar power connection at nominal expense through heavy subsidies for using a maximum of 50 units of power per family. Besides , under the ‘PM Suryaghar Yojana’ 2753 families will be given electric connection through solar power . The beneficiary families will have to spend Rs 85 thousand per family for consuming 3 KWs of power per month, Rs 66 thousand for 2 KWs of power and 33 thousand for 1 KW on installation charges and the government will subsidise this. “Already 9.3 megawatts of solar power are being created in Tripura and this will reach much higher soon” said Ratan Lal Nath, adding that within a short time 38 megawatts of power will be generated within the state.

Nath however expressed his disappointment over non-payment of bills by power consumers in certain areas . “In many cases the TSECL have found important and rich people to be defaulters though things have improved over the past few years; many government departments were defaulters till recently but now after we pressed the issue the finance department has started deducting power dues of departments while allocating annual budget amounts to the defaulting departments ; this has helped but but still there is room for further improvement in bill repayment” said Ratan Lal Nath, the man acting as the driving force behind rapid expansion of solar power use by consumers and creation of infrastructure for this.

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