Srinagar, Nov 29: Jammu and Kashmir government has completed the solarization of 19% of its government buildings, with priority given to those in the education and health sectors, according to Saurabh Bhagat, Commissioner Secretary to the Government, Department of Science and Technology.
The Commissioner Secretary said that under the directives of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), all states and Union Territories (UTs) are mandated to solarize all government buildings by December 2025.
He said that the government of Jammu and Kashmir has initiated the solarization process for its 22,494 government buildings. So far, 4,069 buildings, accounting for 19% of the total, have been solarized.
“This includes 2,200 school buildings, 1,200 Panchayat Ghars, 400 buildings in Jammu Solar City, and several departmental buildings,” he said.
The Commissioner Secretary further said that the department has floated a new tender for an additional 70 MW of solar capacity. Approximately 8,500 buildings have already been allocated to various contractors for solarization.
He added that Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the highest solarization rate in India for any state or UT. This achievement is reflected on the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar portal, where comparative data of states and UTs is available.
“We recently received an award from the Prime Minister in Ahmedabad for this accomplishment. Additionally, we are prioritizing the inclusion of all educational institutions, including degree colleges and universities, in this initiative,” he said.
He added out that several universities have already made significant progress: Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) has installed a capacity of about 1 MW; University of Kashmir has a capacity of 0.75 MW; Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University has around 500 KW; University of Jammu has approximately 1.5 MW.
The Commissioner Secretary said that health and education departments are being prioritized in the solarization process.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JKEDA) is the nodal agency for implementing this ambitious project. Solarization will significantly reduce the electricity burden and provide much-needed relief across departments upon full implementation,” he added.
