UPNEDA blacklists rooftop solar vendor under PM Surya Ghar scheme

The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has blacklisted a Prayagraj-based rooftop solar vendor empanelled under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, signalling tighter enforcement of the flagship solar scheme in the state.

The agency barred the firm and forfeited its bank guarantee of Rs 2.5 lakh following complaints of non-compliance with quality standards and deficiencies in executing solar installation works in Prayagraj district. UPNEDA did not publicly state the exact nature of the wrongdoings but said the vendor had acted against the scheme’s mandate.

The blacklisting follows a broader crackdown that began in December last year, when UPNEDA issued show-cause notices to multiple registered vendors who had not installed a single rooftop solar system since their empanelment. In those notices, the agency said vendors were expected to install at least one rooftop solar system per day on average and warned that failure to provide a satisfactory explanation could lead to cancellation of registration. Notably, the PM Surya Ghar guidelines do not explicitly prescribe a minimum installation requirement for empanelled vendors, making the state’s internal benchmark a stricter standard than the central scheme mandates.

The enforcement push carries some urgency given Uttar Pradesh’s installation numbers relative to its application volumes. The state has received over 11.7 lakh applications under the scheme since its February 2024 launch, but has commissioned just under 3.98 lakh rooftop solar systems as of March 5, 2026, a conversion rate of roughly 34%. That gap between applications and completed installations is among the widest of any major state under the scheme.

Nationally, the picture is similar. India has received over 63.26 lakh applications and installed rooftop solar systems in 25.02 lakh households as of March 5, 2026, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha. That puts overall installations at around 25% of the one crore target set for the 2026-27 financial year.

UPNEDA serves as the state nodal agency for renewable energy implementation in Uttar Pradesh.

The featured photograph is for representation only.