Parliament Panel Urges Single-Window Solar Clearances to Support Stalled Projects & Lagging Rooftop Targets

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy on December 8 called for a single-window clearance mechanism for land acquisition. This would bring all stakeholders of Centre and state level at one place for easy identification of land-related issues and their time bound resolution.

The committee also noted that in respect of bids issued by the four Renewable Energy Implementing Agencies (SECI, NHPC, SJVN and NTPC Ltd/NGEL), power purchase agreements have not been signed for around 44 GW (as on June 30, 2025).

In addition, other measures the committee advocated for included faster implementation of rooftop solar, Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana , PM-KUSUM and the scheme related to the development of solar parks.

The Muft Bijli Yojana aims to establish rooftop solar for one crore households by 2026-27. However, the committee noted that as per information furnished by the ministry, till June 2025, around 16 lakh installations have been made.

This means that around 84 lakh installations i.e., 84% of the installations are yet to be made in just two years of 2025-2027. The panel has identified lack of awareness as the major cause for slow adoption of the scheme.

Though the Ministry has been undertaking awareness and outreach programmes through print, radio, television as well as social media, the committee said they are of the view that unless states and their discoms come fully onboard, the widespread progress would be difficult to come by. The committee therefore, desires that the ministry engage closely with states/ discoms to design awareness campaigns that suit the distinctive features of the state concerned, the report said.

This may build trust among states and their consumers, thereby paving way for capital investment and providing space for installation of solar panels at the anticipated scale, it suggested.

Solar Rollout Challenges

The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, aiming to deliver rooftop solar to one crore households by 2026-27, has been slow uptake. As of mid-2025, only a fraction of solar installations are complete, despite millions of applications.

Despite progress, India’s solar targets face delays, with around 23.9 lakh households adopting rooftop solar under PM Surya Ghar by December 2025 and 44 GW of utility-scale projects lacking signed power-purchase agreements, reported Economic Times. The committee urges single-window land clearance, stronger state-DISCOM engagement, and targeted outreach to meet goals.

(With inputs from PTI.)