Puttige and Kotathattu villages in Karnataka have been selected as Model Solar Villages under the Centre's PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, marking a significant step towards promoting rural renewable energy adoption and sustainable development.

The purpose of the scheme is to promote extensive rooftop solar installations in rural villages while ensuring the involvement of the community in the green energy revolution in India. The chosen villages will serve as model communities that will pave the way for rapid solar energy adoption.

As part of the Model Solar Village component under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, a village is chosen from every district according to its efforts towards installing solar panels on rooftops. This project aims to generate more renewable energy, lower reliance on traditional forms of electricity, and enhance energy independence in villages.

In these chosen villages, there will be an effort towards the growth of installation of rooftop solar systems among the villagers. This will ensure that the cost of electricity for these people is reduced, while they can enjoy more energy efficiency.

The government officials stated that the programme is also geared toward creating awareness on the economic and environmental advantages of solar energy production, in addition to the overall objectives of India towards its renewable energy production. Adoption of rooftop solar will help in reducing carbon emissions and enhance energy security.

The “PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana” helps in providing distributed renewable energy solutions where households install solar panels on rooftops for producing their own electricity, and subsidies are provided to eligible beneficiaries so that their electricity bills can be reduced and more renewable energy solutions can be added to the national energy generation capacity.

The selection of Puttige and Kotathattu reflects growing efforts to integrate renewable energy into rural development strategies. Officials believe successful implementation in these villages could encourage similar initiatives in other districts, supporting sustainable development while strengthening local energy resilience.