Kashmir Industry Body Seeks Rooftop Solar Drive in Industrial Estates Under Central MSME Scheme | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has urged the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to initiate a focused rooftop solarisation drive across organised industrial estates by leveraging central MSME schemes, describing the move as a step toward energy self-reliance and fiscal sustainability.

In a statement, FCIK called for utilising the Integrated Infrastructure Development (IID) component of the Micro and Small Enterprises – Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP) of the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to convert idle industrial rooftops into power-generating assets. The body said rooftop solar systems could be treated as a “Common Facility” for organised industrial estates, making them eligible for up to 60 percent financial assistance from the Government of India.

FCIK stated that aligning this central support with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Policy 2021–30 — which provides 100 percent subsidy for alternative power solutions such as generators — would substantially reduce the financial burden on the UT government.

The federation described rooftop solarisation as a structural and fiscal intervention rather than merely an environmental measure. It said the initiative would reduce the power subsidy burden, curb Aggregate Technical and Commercial (ATC) losses through localised generation and consumption within industrial estates, and enhance in-house power generation capacity.

“Producing power at the point of consumption would effectively act as import substitution, reducing dependence on power procured from outside the UT,” FCIK said.

Explaining the scheme, FCIK noted that the MSE-CDP is a flagship initiative aimed at strengthening the productivity and competitiveness of micro and small enterprises through cluster-based development and shared infrastructure creation. Under its infrastructure development component, 60 percent financial assistance is available for establishing or upgrading common facilities benefiting multiple industrial units.

FCIK said rooftop solar installations in organised estates fall squarely within this mandate as shared infrastructure assets serving entire clusters.

The federation also lauded the Kashmir Small Scale Industrial Association (KSSIA), Bagh-i-Ali Mardan Khan, Srinagar, for engaging the National Institute of Technology Srinagar to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for a rooftop solar power system as a common facility for the estate.

According to FCIK, the Ministry of MSME has agreed in principle to the proposal and sought confirmation from the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) regarding power off-take and the operational framework. With KPDCL having conveyed its consent, the proposal has been taken up by the MSME branch of the Industries and Commerce Department, Kashmir, for preparation of the final DPR under MSE-CDP guidelines for submission to the State Level Steering Committee under the IID component.

FCIK has recommended that the solarisation of the Bagh-i-Ali Mardan Khan Industrial Estate be adopted as a test case under the IID provision and urged the Deputy Chief Minister to direct concerned authorities to expedite the process.

It said that once implemented, the DPR model and operational framework could be replicated across other organised industrial estates in Jammu and Kashmir, unlocking rooftop potential across hundreds of industrial units.

The federation maintained that the initiative would promote green industrial growth, reduce dependence on diesel generators, improve reliability and quality of power supply for MSMEs, rationalise subsidy outgo, lower ATC losses, and align Jammu and Kashmir’s industrial strategy with national renewable energy goals.