New Delhi: In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the story of Moirangthem Seth, a resident of Manipur, and lauded his efforts in bringing solar power to hundreds of homes across the state.
“There is an old saying: ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’ This saying has been proved true once again by a young man from Manipur, Moirangthem Seth. He is less than 40 years old. The remote area of Manipur where Shriram Moirangthem lived had a major electricity problem. To overcome this challenge, he focused on local solutions and found this solution in solar power,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister said that Manipur has favourable conditions for generating solar energy, and Moirangthem decided to tap into this potential.
“In our Manipur, it is anyway easy to generate solar energy. So, Moirangthem started a campaign to install solar panels, and on account of this campaign, today solar power has reached hundreds of houses in his area,” PM Modi said.
He added that Moirangthem’s initiative has gone beyond providing electricity to homes and has helped improve essential services and livelihoods.
“The special thing is that he has used solar power to improve health care and livelihood. Today, owing to his efforts, many health centres in Manipur are also getting solar power,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi noted that the initiative has had a significant impact on women in the region.
“The women of Manipur have also benefited a lot from this endeavour. Local fishermen and artists have also been helped through this,” he added.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s flagship rooftop solar scheme. He said that under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the government is providing financial assistance of around Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 to each beneficiary family for installing solar panels.
“While Moirangthem’s efforts are personal, they are giving new impetus to every campaign related to solar power. I extend my best wishes to him through Mann Ki Baat,” PM Modi said.
PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is a Government of India initiative aimed at providing up to 300 units of free electricity per month to around one crore households by installing rooftop solar panels with government subsidy, thereby reducing electricity bills and enhancing energy self-sufficiency.
Under the scheme, applicants can install solar panels on their rooftops and receive a substantial portion of the installation cost as a subsidy directly into their bank accounts. Beneficiaries can also earn additional income by selling surplus electricity generated from the solar panels back to the power grid.
(IANS)
