- By Kamakshi Bishnoi
- Tue, 18 Mar 2025 02:46 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The plan to illuminate village streets with solar street lights has hit a roadblock. Despite nearly three years passing since its launch, only 19,960 solar lights have been installed against the target of 25,300—achieving just 78 per cent completion. This is despite departmental approval for 24,950 solar lights.
The district, which consists of 230 panchayats across 14 blocks, aimed to install solar lights in all 3,106 wards under the Mukhyamantri Saat Nishchay Yojana-2. However, administrative efforts have fallen short, leaving many villages without adequate lighting.
The initiative, part of the Swachh Gaon-Samridh Gaon scheme, was announced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2020. After elections, the government assigned the implementation to the Panchayati Raj Department, with M/s ITI Limited as the executing agency.
Officials claim the installation process is ongoing, with 78.89 per cent of the work completed so far. "Solar street lights are being installed in all wards through a campaign. So far, around 20,000 lights have been set up," said Dharmendra Kumar, District Panchayati Raj Officer. However, delays continue to hinder the scheme’s full implementation.
