Pakyong, May 19 (IPR): A coordination meeting on Model Solar Village under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) was convened at the conference hall of District Administrative Centre (DAC), Pakyong, today. The meeting had the presence of Additional District Collector (Headquarters), Mr GL Meena along with Sub Divisional Magistrate (Headquarters), Mr Thendup Lepcha and attended by SE Power Department, Thinlay G Bhutia; SE Sikkim Renewal Energy Development Agency (SREDA), Mr KP Sharma; panchayat members of various wards under the district; Block Development Officers from various blocks and representatives from SREDA. The meeting focused on convergence and better utilisation of available resources for PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli scheme, discussions related to the selection of one Model Solar Village per district, and raising awareness about the scheme. PMSGMBY aims at installing rooftop solar plants in one crore households. This initiative is aimed at promoting sustainable energy solutions by establishing Model Solar Villages that will serve as a benchmark for harnessing solar energy to meet local electricity needs. During the meeting, Mr GL Meena discussed the two proposed villages from each of the six blocks in the district that met the criteria to qualify as Model Solar Villages. He further explained that the District Level Committee would identify and announce a cut-off date, marking the beginning of a six-month challenge period. He briefed that the selection process would follow a competitive mode, in which villages would be assessed based on the total distributed renewable energy (RE) capacity installed during the six-month period. Likewise, Mr Thendup Lepcha urged the panchayat members to raise awareness among villagers about the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana and the Model Solar Village initiative. Executive Engineer SREDA, Mr CP Sharma, detailed PMSGMBY and Model Solar Village through presentation. In his presentation he outlined the objectives of the scheme, key benefits, subsidy details, eligibility and the application process needed for consumer registration. Further, he detailed the Model Solar Village, a component of the scheme which focuses on establishing one Model Solar Village per district, in which an allocation of Rs 1 crore is provided to the selected village. Mr Sharma also described the background and objectives of the Model Solar Village and informed that its implementation agency would be SREDA or another nominated entity, operating under the supervision of the District Level Committee. Additionally, he briefed the attendees on the financial assistance available under the Model Solar Village, the eligibility criteria, and the selection process. The meeting also included an open discussion during which the attendees sought clarifications.