Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

Why in news?

• The Union Cabinet today approved a five-fold increase in the country's solar power capacity target to 100,000 MW by 2022, entailing an investment of Rs 600,000 crore, to make India one of the largest green energy producers. 
• target will principally comprise of 40 GW rooftop and 60 GW through large and medium-scale grid-connected solar power projects 

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved plans to generate 2,000 MW of grid-connected PV solar power on a Build-Own-Operate basis by solar power developers under the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.
• The scheme will be implemented by the Solar Energy Corporation of India as per the guidelines of the Ministry for New and Renewable Energy. 
• Viability gap funding will be made available by the Ministry from the National Clean Energy Fund operated by the Finance Ministry.
• ADVANTAGES:
• More electricity
• More infrastructure development
• More jobs - in rural + urban areas

About Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

• Launched in 2010
• Aims:
• solar power capacity target to 100,000 MW by 2022 (changed from 20,000 MW as shown in figure)
• reducing the cost of solar power generation in the country
• create an enabling policy framework to achieve this objective and 
• make India a global leader in solar energy
• Has a 3-phase approach:

"Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission Solarishi" by Solarishi - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

[Sources: PIB, The Hindu, Economic Times]