Ghaziabad, Dec 14 : PM Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY), a flagship programme to alter the pattern of electricity consumption has found a strong connection in the city, with thousands of people applying for registration under the scheme.

More than 1,000 Ghaziabad residents have become beneficiaries of the scheme, while more than 16,000 people have registered for it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the scheme on February 15. The scheme is aimed to provide free electricity to low-income families while also enabling them to generate income from surplus power.

Hema Aggarwal, a beneficiary, said, "This has helped us save money on our electricity bills. There is no charging cost as it is charged with solar energy. Our electricity bills have been reduced by more than 50 per cent.

"I suggest everyone should get it done, as it has many benefits. It is very beneficial in winter and summer," she added.

Beneficiary Vipin Kumar said, "Subsidy is being given under this scheme. If you have a roof and it's empty, you can install solar panels which produce electricity and reduce your electricity bills significantly."

"I have installed 1600-watt solar panels. Ten to 15 units are made daily, hence 430 units are made monthly. With this scheme, our electricity bill has been greatly reduced. Earlier, we used to pay Rs 4,000. After installing the solar panel, the bill was Rs 2,500. There is a profit of Rs 1,500."

Senior Project Officer Ram said that under the 'PM Surya Ghar-Muft Bijli Yojana', the target is to install solar panels in one crore houses across the country. In Ghaziabad, the target is set at 2 lakh houses.

According to official estimates, 16,320 registrations have been done in Ghaziabad so far, out of which 5,641 applications have been received and solar panels have been installed in 1,235 houses.

"Many people are happy with this scheme, and the number of people getting it installed is increasing day-by-day. We are also running awareness programmes to encourage more and more people to install it," he added.

/IANS