Gandhinagar, Oct 23 (IANS) The Gujarat government plans to install solar rooftop systems at 800 offices under the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Farmers Welfare and Cooperation Department during the financial year 2026-27, with an estimated annual electricity bill saving of Rs 2.5 crore.
The initiative is expected to add around 2.5 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity and generate around 31.94 lakh units of electricity annually, according to officials.
Letters of Intent (LOIs) were awarded to various agencies through the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) at a programme held in Gandhinagar on Friday, chaired by Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani in the presence of Minister of State for Agriculture, Ramesh Katara.
The systems are expected to generate around 8,750 units of electricity a day, reducing the department’s dependence on conventional power and lowering its electricity expenditure.
Vaghani said the initiative is intended to address three objectives: environmental protection, efficient use of public funds and energy security.
“The Agriculture Department would be the first state government department to equip all its units with solar panels, after which the model would be extended to other departments in phases. The longer-term objective is to equip all state government offices with rooftop solar systems,” he added.
The state government is also considering installing solar panels on the sheds and domes of marketing yards across Gujarat.
Vaghani said, “The plan would cover warehouses, domes and storage facilities in phases, with solar generation expected to reduce electricity costs for the yards.”
Calling for wider public participation in energy conservation, the Minister urged cooperative institutions across the state and officers and employees of the department to install solar panels at their homes.
He also appealed to them to encourage at least five other people to adopt rooftop solar systems, linking the effort to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’.
Arun Kumar Solanki, Additional Chief Secretary of the Animal Husbandry and Cooperation Department, said: “The planned 2.5 MW capacity would cover agricultural research centres, training centres, universities, veterinary disease investigation centres, veterinary hospitals, nurseries and other government institutions.”
Agriculture Department Principal Secretary R.C. Meena, GEDA Director D.K. Patel, Fisheries Commissioner Vijay Kharadi, Registrar of Cooperative Societies B. K. Joshi, Animal Husbandry Director Falguni Thakar, Agriculture Director R.P. Rajput, the Director of Horticulture, the Director of ATMA, and other departmental officers and employees attended the programme.
–IANS
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