The government has decided to harness the sun’s power to light up gram panchayats in villages, in what will be a big push for solar energy in rural Karnataka.
Authorities are also exploring solar power options for street lights in villages.
Switching to solar power will lead to precious savings running into tens of crores that gram panchayats can utilise on developmental works, authorities say. Every gram panchayat spends an estimated Rs 10-20 lakh on electricity bills annually.
“We want to promote rooftop solar power for gram panchayats,” RDPR principal secretary L K Atheeq said. Out of 6,024 gram panchayats in Karnataka, some 5,500 have their own buildings.
