PIB News Update: Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has informed that The scheme Mission Solar Charkha is enterprise driven scheme and envisages setting up of ‘Solar Charkha Clusters’ which will have 200 to 2042 beneficiaries (Spinners, Weavers, Stitchers and other skilled artisans). Each spinner will be given two charkhas of 10 spindles each.
As part of the scheme no subsidy is given, however subsidy to the tune of Rs.9.60 crore is provided for procurement of charkha and looms to the Implementing or Promoting Agency for a full-scale Solar Charkha Cluster involving a total investment of about Rs.38.625 crore.
Based on the success of a pilot project on Solar Charkha, set up at Khanwa village, Nawada District, Bihar in 2016 which benefitted about 1180 artisans, Government of India accorded approval to set up 50 such clusters. As part of the scheme based on the Expression of Interest (EOI), a total of 10 proposals have been approved under Mission Solar Charkha till date which is expected to benefit about 13784 artisans/workers. The States where Solar Charkha clusters are approved are as follows:
| State | Amount of subsidy (Rs. lakh) | No. of Solar Charkha clusters | No. of beneficiaries |
| Chhattisgarh | 578.49 | 1 | 1200 |
| Gujarat | 405.45 | 1 | 1000 |
| Karnataka | 1920.49 | 2 | 4042 |
| Maharashtra | 1336.76 | 2 | 2742 |
| Odisha | 676.25 | 1 | 1400 |
| Rajasthan | 959.95 | 1 | 2000 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 754.26 | 2 | 1400 |
| Total | 6631.65 | 10 | 13784 |
These solar charkhas are to be operated using solar power which is a renewable energy source. It will help in development of Green Economy as it is an environment friendly programme. It will also generate sustainable employment for the artisans.