New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) The Delhi government has raised the incentive for installation of solar power plants in homes by five-fold and residents can get up to Rs 78,000 for units generating up to 3 KW, said Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday. Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for a 500 KV Solar Energy Plant at the Delhi Legislative Assembly, CM Gupta said, “Adoption of clean energy is a focus area for the government and the government wants to utilise every public building for generate green energy.”

CM Gupta praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 'Surya Ghar Yojana' which has made the incentives for residential solar power generation more lucrative. Pointing to the peak demand in the city hovering around 8,000 MW, she called upon people to join the solar revolution and help the city march towards 'Viksit Delhi, Viksit Bharat'. The Delhi government is offering incentives to residential complexes for adopting solar energy, she said, urging residents to do their bit for the country while soldiers play their role by fighting the enemy on the front.

She said the Delhi government has also sanctioned Rs 100 crore to rid the city of overhead high-tension wires. Referring to efforts being made to fight vehicular pollution, the CM said, “We will come out with an EV policy to give incentives and encourage private vehicle owners to use these pollution-free vehicles.” The recent launch of the new fleet of green mid-sized Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) buses is a major step towards revolutionising the national Capital’s public transport sector, countering pollution and providing last-mile connectivity to users of the Metro, she said.

The government plans to launch 2,080 electric buses this year, she said. The Chief Minister said she had allotted Rs 9,000 crore in the Budget for speeding up the adoption of EVs and promised to boost the charging infrastructure and arrange facilities at bus depots. She also complimented Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta for steps taken to make the legislative business paperless. The new solar-power unit at the Assembly is expected to result in zero electricity bills, generating estimated savings of approximately Rs 15 lakh per month, while making it the country’s first fully solar-powered legislature.

/IANS