NEW DELHI: Rooftop solar panels are to be installed on 10 million houses in India under a scheme launched today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi said that under the scheme “the power of the sun can be harnessed by every household with a roof to reduce their electricity bills and to make them truly self-sufficient for their electricity needs.”

The scheme has been named “Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana,” which translates as Prime Minister’s Sunrise Scheme. It will significantly augment the use of renewable energy at the consumers’ level.

“Pradhan Mantri Suryodaya Yojana aims to provide electricity to low and middle-income individuals through solar rooftop installations, along with offering additional income for surplus electricity generation,” Modi’s office said in a press announcement.

Modi used the occasion to call for a massive national campaign to mobilise residential segment consumers to adopt the use rooftop solar energy in large numbers.

India is home to the International Solar Alliance, which has been set up to promote the use of solar energy.