44,000 government buildings now run on sunshine: India's solar rooftops save Rs 700 crore (about $74 million) a year

More than 44,000 government buildings across India now run on solar power, saving around Rs 700 crore (about $74 million) a year in electricity bills, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit in New Delhi on Monday. The rooftops are only the most visible part. Through the PM-KUSUM scheme, more than 30 lakh (3 million) farmers now irrigate their fields with solar pumps, each saving roughly Rs 1 lakh (about $1,050) a year. And under PM Surya Ghar, the rooftop-solar scheme launched in February 2024 with a target of 1 crore (10 million) homes, more than 65 lakh (6.5 million) households have already joined in just over two years. The government now aims to bring every government building, school, college, hospital and street-lighting system under solar. Modi also noted that more than half of India's installed electricity capacity now comes from non-fossil sources — a Paris Agreement target the country reached in 2025, five years ahead of schedule.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: infrastructure build