SRINAGAR: Union Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said on Saturday that the decision to provide 200 free units of electricity to consumers in Jammu and Kashmir falls within the domain of the Union Territory Government.
Speaking to a local news channel on the sidelines of a PM Surya Ghar event, Agarwal said the Union Government’s role was distinct from the UT Government’s decision on the provision of free electricity.
His remarks come as Jammu and Kashmir moves towards implementing a 200-unit free-power scheme for eligible Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households through rooftop solarisation under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. The Centre approved the J&K Government’s proposal covering about 2.23 lakh AAY families under the scheme’s Utility-Led Aggregation model.
The scheme is being pursued through solar systems installed at the homes of eligible beneficiaries, with the systems expected to generate up to 200 units of electricity a month. It is therefore distinct from a universal provision of the first 200 units of grid electricity free of charge to every household.
Agarwal also said several large public and private companies have shown interest in developing solar power infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, indicating growing interest in expanding renewable-energy capacity in the Union Territory.
The J&K Government has been working on the implementation mechanism for the 200-unit scheme. In September, it informed the Legislative Assembly that the proposed benefit would be delivered through a Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model, with rooftop solar systems to be installed for eligible AAY consumers. The tendering process for selecting RESCO vendors had reached the evaluation stage, with bids opened separately for the Jammu and Kashmir divisions.
The government had estimated the annual financial implication of providing up to 200 free units to the eligible AAY households at Rs 130.87 crore, based on 222,568 consumers and a tariff of Rs 2.45 per unit for the 200-unit entitlement.
The remarks also come against the backdrop of the recent revision of electricity tariffs in J&K. The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission approved an average 6.83 per cent increase in retail electricity tariffs from September 1, 2026, while the UT Government continues to provide financial support to the power distribution companies.
The 200-unit scheme and the tariff revision are separate matters, with the former being implemented through the solarisation programme and the latter determined through the electricity regulatory process.
