Beyond central CFA
PM Surya Ghar central CFA (commonly up to ₹78,000 for eligible 3 kW+) is national. Some states announce extra capital or tariff benefits; others pause or close them. Never sign a quote that depends on a top-up you have not verified on an official state / DISCOM notice.
Last reviewed
| State (examples) | How to treat top-ups | Sealix hub |
|---|---|---|
| Gujarat | No current state top-up we can verify for general homes; older Surya Gujarat resolutions are not proof of today’s entitlement. All five DISCOMs apply via the SURYA Gujarat portal with an empanelled installer — apply and track · Torrent Power steps | Gujarat · Ahmedabad |
| Maharashtra | SMART scheme (GR 6 Oct 2025, run by MSEDCL): homes under 100 units a month get 35% (BPL), 30% (SC/ST) or 20% (other) on top of central CFA. A BPL home pays about ₹2,500 for 1 kW. Above 100 units, central CFA only — details | Maharashtra · MSEDCL |
| Uttar Pradesh | Live: UPNEDA pays ₹15,000/kW up to 2 kW (₹30,000 max) after the central CFA is released, so 3 kW gets ₹1,08,000 in total. Over ₹2,000 crore state subsidy paid by Oct 2026 — UPPCL guide | UP · Lucknow |
| Bihar | Cabinet 12 Aug 2026: ₹10,000/kW, capped at ₹20,000 (up to ₹98,000 with central on 3 kW), first 5 lakh homes, first come first served. Free 1.1 kW for Kutir Jyoti homes via the DISCOMs. Check the 125 free units first — NBPDCL / SBPDCL guide | Bihar · Patna |
| Madhya Pradesh | No general state top-up we can verify; central CFA only. MPERC waived processing, testing and commissioning charges for PM Surya Ghar homes in 2026 — MP DISCOM guide | MP · Indore |
| Odisha | Live: ₹25,000/kW for the first 2 kW + ₹10,000 for the 3rd (₹60,000 max), so 3 kW gets ₹1,38,000 in total, among the highest in India. ₹495 crore in the 2026-27 budget. DISCOM-owned 1 kW (ULA) for a few thousand rupees upfront — Odisha DISCOM guide | Odisha · Bhubaneswar |
| Rajasthan | ₹17,000 state share only for the 1.1 kW plant under the 150-free-units scheme (K-number consent on Bijli Mitra first) — not a top-up for every home | Rajasthan · JVVNL portal |
| West Bengal | Top-up of ₹5,000 / ₹10,000 / ₹15,000 for 1 / 2 / 3 kW announced 22 July 2026 (+₹15,000 SC/ST), after PM Surya Ghar opened to WBSEDCL — confirm it shows on your application · WBSEDCL guide | West Bengal · Kolkata |
| Delhi NCT | Up to ₹78,000 state capital subsidy for 3 kW on top of central CFA (policy amendment, Sep 2026); free 3 kW via DISCOM-led route for homes ≤400 units/month; GBI ended for new home plants — details | Delhi |
| KA / TN / TG / AP / many others | Often central CFA only for general residential — still excellent economics when the bill fits | Areas |
SC and ST households: only Andhra Pradesh (free 2 kW up to 200 units), West Bengal (+₹15,000) and Maharashtra SMART (+₹15,000 under 100 units) pay a category-specific extra. SC/ST solar subsidy by state.
Most confusion comes from lumping unrelated benefits under one word. They affect your payback in completely different ways, and only the first reduces what you pay for the plant.
| Type | What it does | Effect on payback |
|---|---|---|
| Capital top-up | Extra rupees on top of central CFA, usually per kW with a cap | Directly lowers net cost — the only true "extra subsidy" |
| Generation-based incentive | Pays per unit generated for a defined period | Improves returns slowly; depends on metering and claims actually working |
| Net metering terms | Sets how exported units are credited or settled | Often matters more than any capital grant, especially on larger plants |
| Free or subsidised units | Cuts your bill regardless of solar | Reduces the savings solar can create — see below and free units by state |
Several states give domestic consumers a block of free or heavily subsidised units. Punjab, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and others have run schemes of this kind, and the details keep changing. This is genuinely good for households — and it quietly weakens the case for rooftop solar.
The reason is simple: solar saves you money by displacing units you would otherwise pay for. If the state already gives you those units at zero or near-zero cost, there is little left for the panels to displace. A home whose bill has been reduced to a few hundred rupees by a free-units scheme can install a perfectly good plant and still wait a very long time for payback.
So the honest sequence is: check what you actually pay today, after any state benefit, and size from that. Not from the pre-scheme bill, and not from what a neighbour paid three years ago. Our free check works from your current bill for exactly this reason, and our bill-band guides show the pattern: ₹500 · ₹1,500 · ₹3,000.
That last question is the important one. If a vendor has priced the deal assuming a top-up, you carry the risk when it does not arrive.
Model payback with central CFA only. If a live official top-up exists, treat it as upside. If a vendor needs the top-up for the deal to “work,” walk away until documents are in hand.
Price context: 3 kW price · 5 kW price · costs & savings · net metering.
No. Central assistance rules are national and apply everywhere, but state top-ups are optional extras rather than a guarantee. Third-party blog tables listing a top-up for every state frequently disagree with each other and should be treated as leads to verify rather than as fact. Model your payback on central assistance only, and treat any live official top-up as upside.
Four unrelated things get lumped under that one phrase, and only the first reduces what you pay for the plant. A capital top-up adds rupees on top of central assistance, usually per kW with a cap, and directly lowers net cost. A generation-based incentive pays per unit generated for a period. Net metering terms set how exported units are credited, and often matter more than any capital grant. Free or subsidised units cut your bill regardless of solar, which actually weakens the case for panels.
Yes, and this is rarely mentioned. Solar saves money by displacing units you would otherwise pay for, so if a state already supplies those units at zero or near-zero cost there is little left for the panels to displace. A home whose bill has been reduced to a few hundred rupees by a free-units scheme can install a perfectly good plant and still wait a very long time for payback. Size from what you actually pay today, after any state benefit.
Ask for the order or circular that authorises the amount, with its number and date, since a flyer, screenshot or forwarded message is not evidence. Check the status, because many top-ups are announced and then paused, exhausted or revised, so an order from two years ago proves nothing about today. Read the eligibility fine print, as some support is limited by consumer category, capacity, income group or location. Confirm on the state nodal agency or DISCOM rooftop pages rather than a blog aggregator, and ask how it is paid.
Which order or circular authorises this amount and is it still open; is the scheme budget exhausted for the current year; does my consumer category and proposed capacity qualify; who receives the money, me or the vendor on my behalf; and if it is not sanctioned, does my price change and is that in the contract. The last question matters most, because if a vendor has priced the deal assuming a top-up, you carry the risk when it does not arrive.
Decide on central assistance alone. If a live, documented official top-up exists, treat it as upside rather than as part of the business case. If a vendor needs the top-up for the deal to work, walk away until the documents are in hand, because you would be funding the shortfall if the scheme is paused, exhausted or does not cover your category.
