DWEEPTI Yojana: Chhattisgarh’s Women-Led Solar Policy
Why in the news
Chhattisgarh rolled out DWEEPTI in July 2026, building a statewide programme in which women’s self-help groups lead rooftop-solar work in villages.
Key facts
- Expansion of the name: Decentralised Women Empowerment on Energy and Policy for Transformative Inclusion (DWEEPTI).
- Run by: the state’s Panchayat and Rural Development Department, with partner Transform Rural India (TRI), inside the Green Economy Transition Mission.
- Solar Didi cadre: SHG women act as vendors, technicians, installers, managers and entrepreneurs.
- Funding: flexible loans through the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme to ease high upfront costs.
- Rollout: pilot in Kabirdham, now expanding to every district.
Aims
- Encourage women-led clean-energy enterprise.
- Spread decentralised renewable energy in rural areas.
- Build lasting livelihoods and rural energy self-reliance.
About PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Launched | February 2024 |
| Outlay | About Rs 75,021 crore |
| Target | 1 crore households with rooftop solar |
| Benefit | Up to 300 free units of electricity a month |
| Central assistance | 60% of system cost for the first 2 kW, then 40% of the extra cost between 2 and 3 kW; nothing beyond 3 kW |
| Implementer | Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, via a national portal |
Why it matters
- Small-scale power such as rooftop solar, mini-grids and solar pumps is generated close to where it is consumed, so transmission losses fall and village supply becomes dependable.
- In the DAY-NRLM ladder, SHGs feed village organisations, which feed Cluster Level Federations; solar work adds skilled jobs and backs the Lakhpati Didi aim of Rs 1 lakh yearly income for each SHG woman.
Exam angle
- Pilot district: Kabirdham; first-in-India status for Chhattisgarh.
- Registered vendors under PM Surya Ghar: Cluster Level Federations.
- Nodal ministry for PM Surya Ghar: MNRE.