Chandigarh, Aug 12 (IANS) Punjab is set to illuminate every village with three lakh LED-based solar streetlights with an outlay of Rs 470 crore, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Sources Aman Arora said on Wednesday.

In a major rural infrastructure push covering all 23 districts, the state government is equipping gram panchayats with clean energy lighting to enhance safety, connectivity and sustainability in rural areas.

Arora told the media here that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led state government would contribute 70 per cent of the project cost, while gram panchayats would bear the remaining 30 per cent.

“This is a big shift from the earlier 30:70 ratio that put an excessive financial burden on village bodies. The decision was taken considering the limited financial resources at the panchayat level and to ensure equal opportunity for all panchayats to participate in the programme,” he said.

Arora added that the initiative reflected the state government’s intent to enhance safety, improve rural infrastructure and promote clean energy in gram panchayats.

With 62.51 per cent of Punjab’s population, around 173.20 lakh people are residing in rural areas and dark streets raise risks of accidents and crime.

The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) will serve as the nodal agency for the project implementation. It will oversee the installation of solar streetlights as well as the comprehensive repair and renewal of existing systems.

Based on feedback from panchayats, the maintenance support period has been extended from five years to seven years to ensure long-term functionality, the Minister said.

Outlining the governance framework, Arora said the programme incorporates several transparency and accountability measures, including geo-tagging and unique identification of each streetlight, QR code and IVRS-based grievance redressal, and remote monitoring systems to track functionality.

The system will also trigger automated annual maintenance contract (AMC) alerts to ensure repairs are carried out within 72 hours of any malfunction.

Arora said the site selection will prioritise public spaces — village ‘phirni’, schools, Anganwadi centres, government health facilities, religious institutions and densely populated areas.

This approach underlined the state government’s commitment to inclusive rural development, besides ensuring that lighting benefits reach the most vulnerable sections first, the Minister added.

–IANS

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